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Glasgow Rangers have confirmed that several members of their first-team squad will be departing the club upon the expiry of their respective contracts this summer.

Ryan Kent, Alfredo Morelos, Scott Arfield, and Allan McGregor are just a few of the players who are going to be moving on from the Light Blues ahead of the 2023/24 campaign.

The summer transfer window will provide Michael Beale with an opportunity to replace them but the Gers head coach could save the club millions by looking to the B-Team to find new first-team stars next season.

Robbie Ure, Ross McCausland, Arron Lyall, and Alex Lowry were all brought off the bench in the 3-1 win over Hibernian last weekend in the Scottish Premiership.

Lyall, in particular, could earn himself a regular senior role for Rangers next season after reportedly agreeing a new contract with the club.

Who is Arron Lyall?

He is a 19-year-old winger who has caught the eye with his performances for the B-Team this term and the youngster could be a dream replacement for Kent.

The current first-team attacker has played 29 matches in the Premiership in 22/23 and chipped in with three goals and eight assists from out wide. This comes after he produced two goals and eight assists in 26 outings in the competition in 21/22.

Kent has, therefore, contributed with 21 direct goal involvements in 55 appearances in the Scottish top-flight since the start of last season, which is one every 2.62 games.

Meanwhile, Lyall has scored 13 goals and provided two assists in 34 Lowland League clashes for the B-Team in the current campaign. He has also scored two goals and assisted one in five outings in the Challenge Cup and UEFA Youth League combined this term.

This means that the teenager has been directly involved in 18 goals in 39 games at youth level for the Gers – a contribution every 2.16 appearances.

These statistics indicate that the youngster has the potential to make a similar, and possibly greater, impact to the one that Kent has made in the Premiership this season if he can translate his form over to the first-team.

Lyall, who ex-boss Neil McCann dubbed "exciting", has also been rewarded for his efforts by being named the club's Academy Player of the Year and the B-Team's Players' Player of the Year.

This shows that the club and his teammates have recognised his exceptional performances and Beale has clearly taken notice of his progress as the manager handed him a debut in the win against Hibs.

He is clearly, based on the overwhelming evidence of his form for the academy and his individual honours, a promising young talent and the manager could unearth the magician as the dream heir to Kent's position on the wing in 23/24.

There is no harm in using pre-season as an opportunity for the 19-year-old to showcase his quality in a first-team environment, and it could be the perfect chance for Lyall to prove that he can make the step up to fill the void left by the Englishman.

R Ashwin, whose 5 for 62 helped India dismiss West Indies for 196 on the opening day of the second Test at Sabina Park, said he was “pretty surprised” by Jason Holder’s decision to bat first

Karthik Krishnaswamy in Kingston31-Jul-20161:32

‘Ashwin exploited the spin and bounce from the pitch well’ – Manjrekar

R Ashwin, whose 5 for 62 helped India dismiss West Indies for 196 on the opening day of the second Test at Sabina Park, said he was “pretty surprised” by Jason Holder’s decision to bat first. Speaking to the media after India had moved to 126 for 1 in their reply at stumps, Ashwin said the pitch was a “bit sticky” early on, and that it might have suited West Indies’ strengths more to bowl first.”I was pretty surprised that they won the toss and batted first today,” Ashwin said. “Like Virat mentioned at the toss, there was a bit in it, it was a bit sticky. Maybe I would’ve batted as well. But with their strengths, I thought it was a bit surprising.”Despite India ending the day on top, Ashwin cautioned that there was a long way still to go in the match. “I was really taken aback by the counterattack that [Jermaine] Blackwood did,” he said. “It sort of put the game in the balance. And we had to break [through] twice and brought the game back. It’s clearly a game where the experienced side is seizing the more opportune moments. I would put it that way. With a little bit of experience and nailing the right moments, the game could get closer.”This game has a lot of uncertainties. We just saw one when Sri Lanka pulled it off against Australia [in the Pallekele Test]. And they did the same against us in Galle [in 2015], so we can’t be lacklustre with that, we will have to keep doing our process properly.”Ashwin said his variations of pace had been key to picking up five wickets on a damp first-day pitch.”A little bit of bounce and speed variation, that was important, I thought. Most of the dismissals were brought about by difference in speeds rather than much of spin, actually. It was initially damp and there was some turn, but after that it flattened out a bit and started going straight. This ball, once it gets older, it becomes easier to bat. There’s a lot more time. I think it was more about bounce and speed variation that created the problem.”Playing only his 34th Test match, Ashwin has already picked up his 18th five-wicket haul. At this moment, his rate of taking five-fors is even better than that of Muttiah Muralitharan, who picked up 67 in 133 Tests.”Everybody wants to start playing cricket one day to achieve what nobody else could achieve,” Ashwin said. “I am happy to be there, at some stage of my career where I am better than everybody else who has played the game. It feels nice, but the only thing that is constant is trying to improve from wherever you are. I think change is very very important. Keeping on benchmarking yourself is more important. This is good, but tomorrow is a different day and you have to keep improving.”Coming in for the injured M Vijay, KL Rahul got India off to a near-perfect start to their reply, and ended the day batting on 75. Ashwin wasn’t surprised by his performance, and said he had nicknamed him ‘batting machine’ for the amount of batting he does in training.”We all know that he’s a quality cricketer,” Ashwin said. “He’s made a lot of runs in first-class cricket. He has pretty much arrived at this level.”Beforehand, when he made hundreds for us, it has been crucial knocks. He made one in Sri Lanka which is very very memorable. As a matter of fact, the way he played in the IPL, it’s just an extension. Everybody wants Rahul to do well, which is a big tick for him.”I’ve nicknamed him batting machine. He keeps batting all the time and it’s not a surprise that he’s made runs and I’m very happy for him.”

Fans online have been left stunned after Bernardo Silva nutmegged multiple players in one run for Manchester City in their most recent outing.

What’s the latest on Man City and Bernardo Silva?

On Tuesday night, the Cityzens gave their hopes of securing a first-ever Champions League title a huge boost as they cruised to a 3-0 win at the Etihad.

Coming up against Thomas Tuchel’s Bayern Munich in the first leg of their tantalising quarter-final clash, a well-fought first half saw City go in 1-0 at the break thanks to a stunning long-distance effort from Rodri.

Pep Guardiola and co were then able to dominate the later stages of the game as two goals in the space of six minutes from Silva and then Erling Haaland sealed the 3-0 victory.

While the Portugal international scored that vital goal, he also worked hard defensively to help nullify the potential attacking threat of Bayern wingback Alphonso Davies.

This was something noted by his manager after the game, with Guardiola telling Sky Sports: “He is a player who you say is going to play in that position and you do not have to say anything else.

“I have been lucky to coach some very good players for Barca and Bayern. He is one of the best players I ever trained in my life, ever. He is something special as a football player.

“Bernardo is a football player, he can play everywhere because he understands the game perfectly and every action with and without the ball.

“When Davies starts to go you cannot stop, Bernardo has the ability to read the positions, give us an extra pass. He is so important in these types of games, he can play holding midfielder. He is so, so important and lately he is scoring goals, which he lacked a little bit. Now he is being decisive.”

Perhaps Silva’s most jaw-dropping moment, however, came on the hour mark when the score was still only just 1-0.

Indeed, seemingly trapped in a cul-de-sac, the £150k-per-week star jinked forward, pushing the ball through Davies’ legs, then Leon Goretzka’s, before then doing the same to Davies once more (potentially twice, actually) before teeing up a shot for John Stones.

BT Sport shared the footage on their Twitter feed and it’s safe to say a number of fans were stunned by the skill.

The praise just kept on coming with some onlookers on their knees at what they had just witnessed…

And some suggested, he actually got four nutmegs as he seems to beat Davies on three occasions, with two coming right at the end.

Liverpool are struggling to replicate their former success under Jurgen Klopp's tutelage this season, with the prestigious Premier League outfit languishing in sixth place in the table and out of every cup competition rather prematurely.

It is a far cry from the outfit that gleaned the FA Cup and Carabao Cup last season, falling in the final of the Champions League against Real Madrid and finishing second in the English top-flight with 92 points, one agonising point behind Manchester City.

Unequivocally, Klopp has cultivated an incredible squad with an imperious winning mentality, but it has indeed crumbled this term and the forthcoming summer transfer window will be paramount to returning to former glory.

With the centre of the park one of the key areas of concern, speculation has been rife regarding the bolstering of the formerly excellent system consisting of Fabinho, Jordan Henderson and Gini Wijnaldum.

Fabinho and Henderson both remain on the Reds' books but have been shadows of their former selves, but the latter, Wijnaldum, left the club in 2021 after signing for £25m from Newcastle United in 2016, and the absence of his all-encompassing drive has been poignantly felt this term.

Would Wijnaldum transform Liverpool?

When Wijnaldum completed his transfer to Klopp's Liverpool in 2016 after the Magpies plummeted into the second tier, he has primarily been utilised as a dynamic offensive force, plying his trade out on the offensive left flank or in a more central, but still forward-thinking role.

He had, after all, proved his worth as a formidable striking force, scoring 11 goals and serving five assists in his solitary Premier League season at St. James's Park despite the club's fruitless exploits, relegated from the top-flight after finishing with 37 points, bitterly two points adrift of acrimonious rivals Sunderland.

However, Klopp recognised his worth as an assiduous and controlled force at the heart of the Reds field, where he was crafted into an industrious, composed and unrelenting workhorse to ensure Liverpool were charged with high-octane batteries.

He would forge 237 appearances for the Merseyside outfit, scoring only 22 goals and supplying just 16 assists, but his brilliance did not lie in his potency in front of goal, rather his orchestrating approach to run in tandem with the diligence and discipline that allowed the likes of Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah to wreak havoc on opposing defences.

The 87-cap Dutchman would go on to win the Premier League and Champions League under Klopp's wing, and when he eventually departed on a free transfer to Paris Saint-Germain, his absence was certainly felt, the 32-year-old even hailed as "irreplaceable" by Richard Jolly.

For a Liverpool midfield that is discernibly lacking in potency and vigour, Wijnaldum, in his prime, would be a catalyst for success once again, and it is hard to imagine that the woes of the campaign would be quite so profound with his robust presence pulling the strings.

The Athletic are just one of many to illustrate the issues that have left the Reds chasing top-four instead of challenging for the league title, with the phenom never dropping below an 87% pass success rate in the Premier League for Liverpool and indeed working tirelessly, like an unabating storm.

Stefan Bajcetic, Liverpool's 18-year-old prodigy, bears a semblance to his senior positional peer and has indeed thrived among the dirt this season, praised for "looking right at home" in the midfield by Statman Dave.

But the precocious Spaniard cannot alone bring his outfit from the ashes, and with Wijnaldum partnering him in the centre, Klopp could've indeed constructed a winning formula this term.

Wijnaldum's time at Anfield has come and passed, but his excellence at the beating heart of Klopp's dynasty is a reminder of exactly what the club are missing right now, and if the sagely German manager can get his hands on another ace to emulate the former feats, a course to success could be set once again.

Chelsea were clearly desperate for a new striker in the summer transfer window and the Blues made the panic decision to bring former Arsenal forward Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang back to the Premier League.

However, his signing has proven to be disastrous for Todd Boehly, as the former Gabon international is now costing the Chelsea chairman a fortune while sitting on the bench for Graham Potter's side.

How much has Aubameyang cost Chelsea?

Barcelona would sign the experienced striker on a free transfer from Arsenal in February 2022 and he impressed during his brief spell at the Nou Camp, notching 13 goals and one assist in just 24 appearances.

This was enough to convince Boehly to bring him back to England in September 2022, with the 33-year-old signing in a deal worth £12m, which perhaps always looked like a risky deal for the Blues given his age and the disciplinary issues that saw him ousted from Mikel Arteta's side the season prior.

He was also offered a hefty £160k-per-week contract by the west London side, which means he has set the Blues back around £4.5m in wages in the 28 weeks since he signed, taking his overall fee to around £16.5m, which is a significant price to pay for a bit-part player.

Aubameyang has gone on to make just 18 appearances for Chelsea in his six-month stay, registering a disappointing three goals and one assist, so it was no surprise that Potter opted to leave him out of his squad for the Champions League knockout stages, especially as his last start would come in early January.

BBC pundit Chris Sutton summarised Aubameyang's stint at Stamford Bridge after his lacklustre display in the 1-0 home defeat against Manchester City.

He said: “I’m always wary to criticise players for lack of effort or poor body language but Aubameyang absolutely epitomised that. I thought he was woeful and hopeless and didn’t give anywhere near enough.

“He looked disinterested and I suspect Graham Potter will be thinking, ‘blimey, he is never going to play in a Chelsea jersey again under me’.”

Unfortunately for Potter, Aubameyang's contract with Chelsea is set to run until June 2024, which means that they need to shift him this summer if they are going to avoid paying his wages for another year.

With further attacking additions likely in the summer transfer window, it seems clear that the 33-year-old's time in the Premier League is over, with his signing likely to go down as one of the worst of the Boehly era.

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.

The Parisians are bracing themselves for the loss of their star man this summer, but might already have a capable replacement on their books

Kylian Mbappe is flirting with Real Madrid – he has been for quite some time. This melodrama, one which presumably concludes with Mbappe standing with a smirk in front of the famous wall of Champions League trophies at Valdebebas, is winding to its end. And although it will certainly leave Florentino Perez, Carlo Ancelotti and co. dreaming of another year of glittering success, Paris Saint-Germain will have to confront the reality of being without their all-time top goalscorer.

That is mostly because Mbappe cannot be replaced. The Parisians, though, can change. It's a process that football advisor Luis Campos kicked off last season by bringing in 12 new recruits, all signed to soften the blow of an Mbappe-less future in the French capital.

The biggest new arrival, though, might be a player who hasn't yet appeared for the club since his return in 2023. RB Leipzig playmaker Xavi Simons is technically is currently in Germany on loan from PSG, and in all likelihood will make a proper return to Paris this summer.

After two seasons away, the 20-year-old could be the final piece in PSG's post-Mbappe puzzle, the face of a team refurbished and ready to stay competitive on Europe's biggest stage.

• La Masia upbringing

  Simons' football career hasn't been all success. Although he's just 20, it seems like the exciting attacker has been around for years. In a way, he has. Born in Amsterdam, Simons moved to south-eastern Spain at the age of three. By the time he was seven years old, Barcelona had snapped him up, and made him one of the biggest talents of a generation, alongside current Golden Boy winner Gavi.

  The hype around his upbringing was palpable from an early age. Simons appeared in commercials with Ronaldinho and Neymar as a child, and his name alone gave Barca fans reason for excitement (yes, he was named Xavi because of that famous midfielder). One social media account summarised the hype in modest terms: "Dribbles like [Andres] Iniesta, wins awards like [Lionel] Messi, face like Ronaldinho, hair like [Carles] Puyol, nationality like [Johan] Cruyff, and the name is Xavi."

  Simons never saw the field for a senior Barca team. Chelsea tried to take him to London at 12, but he declined the offer. However, he eventually left Catalunya when super-agent Mino Raiola came along in 2019.

  Barca reportedly offered Simon assurances that he would star for their Juvenil A (Under-19s) side, and teased a first-team role. But with Messi in the way and Raiola able to drum up interest from around Europe, Simons penned a three-year deal with PSG. Some reports suggested that he would earn up to €1 million (£850,000/$1.1m) per year as a 16-year-old. Barca, for their part, received just €130,000 – a meagre sum for a player who was regarded as a sure-fire world-class talent at the time.

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  Uncertain start to Parisian life

  PSG didn't offer Simons consistent playing time – at least not immediately. He spent his first season tucked away in their academy system, as the Parisians dropped him straight into their U19 set-up, handing the 16-year-old ample space to focus on football.

  It proved to be valuable development time for a teenager who had never really spent time away from the spotlight. PSG lived in a world of preoccupation at the time, with the antics of Neymar and Mbappe dominating the senior side. Simons, who had over four million Instagram followers and the watchful eyes of an expectant world on him when he first arrived, managed to snatch some valuable time to develop.

  Hopes remained high, though, and he trained with the senior PSG squad during pre-season in 2020, making his debut in a friendly that August. By early 2021, he was a fixture on the PSG bench, awaiting his chance to crack a line-up full of global superstars. He made his professional debut in February of that year, and his Ligue 1 bow soon after. By the summer of 2021, it seemed that Simons was well on track to work his way into the first team, especially with Mauricio Pochettino highlighting a specific role for him in the side.

  But it never worked out, and Simons spent most of the 2021-22 campaign on the bench. By the end of that campaign, the teenager had been on the pitch for just over 300 minutes, and was yet to score as a professional.

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  PSV breakout

  Simons needed a way out, and PSV provided it. Once again, he was afforded the opportunity to work out of the spotlight, functioning as a key cog for a PSV team that very few would tab as genuine contenders for domestic or European glory. But with Simons pulling the strings, Ruud van Nistelrooy's side came close. He scored 22 goals and assisted 12 more in all competitions, working in tandem with Cody Gakpo to drag an otherwise flawed side to a second-placed finish in the Eredivisie.

  For PSV, Simons was the catalyst, a player who could terrify opponents with his slick dribbling ability, before finding the cute passes around the penalty area to set up for his team-mates. It was everything that first Barcelona, then PSG hoped the player could be.

  “At this age, he’s not a real specialist,” PSV assistant coach Fred Rutten told in June 2023. “In the future, I think he can play at No.10, but he’s more of a No.10 who scores goals. He has the skills when he’s in the box and when he can come out quickly in the counter-attack — then he’s really dangerous.”

  Simons' form brought his future into sharp focus, with Premier League and Bundesliga clubs linked with moves for the youngster after he also broke into the senior Netherlands squad. However, it soon became clear that a return to PSG was on the cards, with a clause having been inserted into his contract that allowed him to return to the French champions, even though he had departed as a free agent just a few months prior.

  "It is a clause between me and PSV, not between me and Paris Saint-Germain. It’s a clause that, if I wanted to go to PSG, I could leave for a certain amount at the end of the season," Simons explained. "To be honest, it’s not in my head to leave. I’m settled here; I feel good here. You can also see that on the field, I think. I came here on a free transfer, so I have no obligations to anyone. I’m the one who has to make the choice."

  Simons may have had a say in the matter, but what he failed to mention was that PSG's buy-back clause was very affordable, and certainly came in at under market value. They showed little hesitation, then, in bringing one of the world's brightest talents back to Parc des Princes for just €6 million (£5.2m/$6.6m).

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  Leipzig and further development

  Simons arrived back in Paris last summer, only to confront the reality that PSG still had Mbappe and were busy retooling the rest of their forward line following Messi and Neymar's departures. Therefore, promptly after signing a four-year contract, he negotiated a loan move to Leipzig.

  The step up in quality has brought a new level out of Simons, who has been among the most impactful players in the Bundesliga this season. He has 16 goal contributions to his name in all competitions and is Leipzig's leader in assists.

  These days, he operates as an attacking midfielder in a 4-2-2-2 setup, floating between the lines and buzzing around the edge of the box. His link up with Dani Olmo – also a La Masia product – has been devastating at times, and the catalyst for Marco Rose's expansive attack. Once a chaotic, all-action dribbler, Simons has become a refined passer who can find a killer ball with ease.

  He remains, however, a human highlight-reel. He provided one of the more memorable goals of the Champions League season so far, whipping an effort into the top corner from 25 yards out against Red Star Belgrade, while he also bagged the Bundesliga Goal of the Month award in January for his swivel, pivot and volley that opened the scoring against Bayer Leverkusen. He will undoubtedly be the player Real Madrid fear the most when the two sides meet in the Champions League last 16, with the first leg in Germany on Tuesday.

The opener made an unbeaten 54 while the offspinner took 2 for 23 to consign South Africa to a seven-wicket loss

ESPNcricinfo staff13-Feb-2018Getty Images

Mithali Raj made an unbeaten 54 – her third successive fifty in T20Is – to marshal India’s chase of 165 and put them 1-0 up in the five-match series. This after T20 specialist offspinner Anuja Patil claimed 2 for 23 in her four overs to pin down South Africa’s batting line-up.After South Africa were sent in, Lizelle Lee launched the innings with three boundaries in five balls across the the second and third overs. Shikha Pandey, however, recovered from an 11-run first over to have Lee caught at mid-off in the fifth over. Dane van Niekerk then gave her side direction with 38 off 31 balls. She found support from Sune Luus (18) and Mignon du Preez (31) to haul the hosts close to 100. Chloe Tryon then provided a blazing finish with 32 off seven balls, by smacking three sixes and a four off Pandey in the last over that went for 23 runs. Eighteen-year-old medium-pacer Pooja Vastrakar – one of India’s four debutants – returned 1 for 34.India’s chase also started with a flurry of boundaries when Raj and Smriti Mandhana collected three fours and a six off Marizanne Kapp in the opening over. On 47 in the fifth over, India faced a bit of a stutter when Mandhana fell for a quick 15-ball 28 and captain Harmanpreet Kaur was run out on her first ball. However, 17-year-old Jemimah Rodrigues, also on debut, came out all guns blazing by clobbering three fours and a six in her first seven balls of international cricket. She and Raj scored 69 runs together in under nine overs, including Rodrigues’ 37 off 27 balls, studded with four fours and a six.The platform had been set by Raj’s fifty that included six fours and a six. She was particularly severe on Shabnim Ismail, hitting 22 off 11 balls. She stayed unbeaten along with Veda Krishnamurthy (37*) to steer India home with seven wickets and seven balls to spare. Krishnamurthy continued from her two successive fifties in the ODI series and sealed the chase with a six in the 19th over. Five of South Africa’s seven bowlers conceded more than eight runs an over, and three of them more than 11 an over.

Dean Jones has given an update on Wolverhampton Wanderers midfield pursuit.

The club are looking to strengthen in the middle of the park this summer after losing key players this window.

What is the latest Wolves transfer news?

The side are in chaos before the start of the season.

The club have recently had to make a managerial change, with former coach Julen Lopetegui leaving his post by mutual consent after just nine months at the club. A key factor behind the Spaniard's decision to depart was the clubs failure to secure him the transfer targets that he wanted due to the clubs financial position.

Wolves have moved to replace him with former Bournemouth head coach Gary O'Neil, who has identified Coventry midfielder Gustavo Hamer as a target as he looks to bolster his squad for the upcoming season, but that plan has already been foiled as he's joined Sheffield United.

Wolves haven't had much luck when it's come to transfers this summer, with the club missing out on top target Alex Scott. The midlands side saw two offers rejected for the young Englishman, with the second rebuffed offer being worth £20m. Bournemouth then stepped in and paid the Bristol City asking price of £25m and completed the deal.

The club lost Ruben Neves earlier this window as he made the switch to the Saudi Pro League in a £47m move to Al Hilal, whilst experienced veteran Joao Moutinho departed this summer following the expiry of his contract at Molineux.

Wolves pursuit of Hamer may be short-lived however, with The Telegraph reporting that newly promoted Sheffield United have agreed a deal for the player for £15m. The Dutch midfielder is set to undergo a medical with the Blades soon, so if Wolves want the player they will have to act quickly.

Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, Jones revealed that the club were seriously looking at Hamer as a target, whilst Manchester City midfielder Tommy Doyle is also a name being considered.

He said: "The centre of the park is somewhere Wolves should be shopping, but there are frustrations around this and is part of why Lopetegui was wondering what he could do with this team. They have shown their liking for Scott, but beyond that, they should also be looking more seriously at Hamer, whom they have been admiring from afar, I am told.

To me, his value in this market seems golden, but maybe it’s still too much to expect from Wolves as they iron out their current problems. There is also some doubt around him being a guaranteed success as they need players that fit into the Premier League seamlessly. Tommy Doyle at Man City has also been mentioned, and I believe it remains the case that they are waiting to see if that can become more active."

What next for Wolves this window?

The club seem to be looking to add Premier League experience to the side.

According to Jones, the club are interested in signing West Ham forward Michael Antonio. The Hammers are reportedly willing to let go of the Jamaican international this summer, but the forward has reservations about making the switch to Molineux due to the uncertainty around the club, and would like a better understanding of the situation before committing to the move.

Previous boss Lopetegui wanted fellow Irons player Aaron Cresswell, and despite his departure, the interest from the Midlands club has remained, with Football Insider reporting that should Wolves up their rejected offer by £1.5m, then West Ham will sanction the move for the defender who has just 12 months remaining on his contract.