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Nottingham Forest are growing in “confidence” that they will be able to once again secure the services of Manchester United goalkeeper Dean Henderson this summer, according to reliable journalist Rudy Galetti.

Is Dean Henderson leaving Manchester United?

Henderson has been a long-term servant at Old Trafford having graduated from his club’s academy to become a member of the first-team fold, but he’s never been able to establish himself as Erik ten Hag’s number one.

Despite David De Gea having now left, Inter Milan’s Andre Onana has been brought in as the new first-choice, so the youth product’s game time may continue to be extremely limited, meaning that he’s likely to be tempted to look elsewhere to get minutes under his belt.

The England international joined the Reds on a season-long loan last summer and initially started his spell brightly before sustaining a thigh injury that kept him on the sidelines for the final 19 top-flight matches of the season, though that hasn’t stopped Steve Cooper from wanting to bring him back to The City Ground.

According to Italian reporter Fabrizio Romano last week, Evangelos Marinakis has submitted a new “proposal” for the 26-year-old in the hope of temporarily acquiring his services for a second time, and it would appear that the completion of a deal could soon be on the horizon in the Premier League.

Are Nottingham Forest signing Dean Henderson?

Taking to Twitter, Galetti has said that Nottingham Forest are feeling more than optimistic that they will be able to sign Henderson again before the end of the summer window, with talks "progressing".

“Following the signing of Onana, the talks between Nottingham Forest and Man Utd for Dean Henderson are progressing with confidence. Personal terms already agreed, it's up to clubs. Man Utd targeted Zion Suzuki as the new possible 2nd GK.”

Nottingham Forest losing Henderson to injury in 2022/23 was a massive blow for Cooper considering the positive impact he had on the side, but it’s this exact reason why they are correct in wanting to retain the goalkeeper’s services.

Man United’s £120k-per-week earner kept six clean sheets from 20 appearances during his time in the Midlands, where for two of those performances he was rewarded with a man-of-the-match award.

The 6 foot 2 titan recorded a total of 52 saves from 85 shots on target against, giving him a success rate of 65.9%, not to mention that he also ranked in the 92nd percentile for the most number of penalty saves, so he really is a very well-rounded shot-stopper, via FBRef.

Henderson, who was previously dubbed “insane” by his former Sheffield United teammate Sander Berge, finally has an extremely strong range of passing having completed 100% of his short dispatches and 98.9% of his medium dispatches whilst on loan, so bringing him back between the sticks is certainly a no-brainer of a decision for the hierarchy to make, and by the looks of things, it could be a matter of time until he joins Anthony Elanga at The City Ground.

Marcus Trescothick passed Harold Gimblett’s record with his 50th first-class century for Somerset as he helped ensure a draw against Warwickshire

George Dobell at Taunton22-May-2017
ScorecardThere is a rumour in Taunton that when Marcus Trescothick first visited the county ground, the Quantocks hadn’t been formed and the tower of St James’ church hadn’t been built: they were still waiting for the birth of Jesus and the formation of Christianity.While that is probably a slight exaggeration, it is certainty true that Trescothick has become as much a fixture at this old ground as the hills and towers that border it. Since his first-class debut, back in 1993 – the year there was a false start in the Grand National and the Princess of Wales denied any intention of divorcing Prince Charles – this ground has altered almost beyond recognition: the Colin Atkinson Pavilion remains, but the Botham and Somerset stands, and the Somerset, Caddick and Ondaatje pavilions (they like a pavilion round here) have all been added and the place has been transformed from something of a sleepy backwater to a thriving club that produces high-quality players and packs them in for T20 matches. And he now plays at a ground with a stand bearing his name.He is also now the only man in Somerset’s history to record 50 first-class centuries for the club. He equalled Harold Gimblett’s record of 49 against Nottinghamshire in July 2016 and passed it here to help his side to a battling draw. His status as a club legend is absolutely assured.He does not remain through sentiment, either. As he showed, he continues to justify his place in the side as a fine batsman and the most-prized wicket for the opposition. Without him, Somerset might well have subsided to an innings defeat. After his 106 and Peter Trego’s 52 – a stay that contained several strong leg-before shouts and what appeared to be a clear slip catch that was given not out – the next-highest contribution in Somerset’s first innings was 16.Even then, he was still obliged to come out once more to save the game. With Somerset losing their final five first-innings wickets for 22 runs, Warwickshire enforced the follow-on and Trescothick was the man – of course he was the man – who shielded an out-of-sorts middle-order to safety with another two hours of defiance. Tom Abell’s unbeaten innings of 35, easily his highest score of the season to date, might prove quietly significant, too.But this day was all about Trescothick. He batted for all but seven overs of it and the clenched fists and bat raised to all corners of the ground upon reaching his century hinted at how much the individual landmark meant to him. And the fact that it saved his side from defeat meant even more.You won’t hear a bad word about him in these parts. In any parts, really. And it is not just for his runs. It is for his obvious enthusiasm and commitment to the cause – his upset after Somerset finished as runners-up yet again a few years ago was painful to witness – his openness with supporters, his bravery in confronting his mental health issues and trying to help others with theirs. And, perhaps, his vulnerability, too. Somerset are as protective of him as they are proud.There are, as Trescothick accepts, aspects of his story and Gimblett’s that are “not too dissimilar”. Both were local lads who, for many years, plundered runs for their county but were then afflicted by dark moods over which they had no control. But while Trescothick, in time, found sympathy and understanding, Gimblett took his own life. One day, we may well reflect that it has been Trescothick’s work improving the awareness of mental health issues in sport that has been even more significant than his runs. Certainly, he has made life easier for those who come after him.”The cricket gets forgotten quite quickly,” Trescothick said. “The team and the club moves on. But hopefully the mental health work will be remembered a bit longer. Hopefully we have educated a few people and given them hope that they can talk about it and gain help. That will probably live on for longer. In 10 years, that might be what people remember.”Trescothick continues to battle his demons. “Even this week, I’ve had sleepless nights. I’ve not been feeling quite right. You have to manage those feelings and get through those periods. I can still cope and play cricket when I don’t feel right. I’ve learned to manage it a bit.”Such has been his struggle for confidence this season, Trescothick called his sponsors last week for a new batch of bats. Whether the change was real or psychological, 152 runs for one dismissal in this match suggest something clicked. He gave one chance in the second innings – a pull for six that Grant Thornton clung on to but on the wrong side of the boundary – but generally looked wonderfully assured against a ball that was turning sharply by the end of the match.ESPNcricinfo Ltd”Of course I still doubt myself,” he said. “Absolutely I doubt myself. That will never go away. I felt a million miles away from form this season. I’ve been really battling for rhythm. But you fight through and I desperately wanted to reach this milestone at home. As a professional sportsman you pride yourself on days like this. It’s what I want more than anything. It’s why I’m still playing at 41.”There’s no reason why there should not be a few more centuries to come. His hunger for the game is such that, even in the last few days, he has been asking to play 2nd XI games to ensure he remains in form – an experience he describes as “brilliant fun”. His days as a white-ball player behind him – it is the fielding that has become the issue – he will appear a fair bit more for the seconds in the coming weeks as T20 dominates the domestic schedule. His young colleagues are lucky to have him.”He is a fantastic bloke and great role model,” Warwickshire’s captain, Ian Bell, agreed. “All the young players here can tap into him and this is a great achievement.”There was a moment in early afternoon when Warwickshire seemed far from convinced what a fantastic bloke he was. Trego, on 34, appeared to have edged to Jonathan Trott at slip but the umpires said they were unsure the ball had carried and Trescothick, naturally, backed his team-mate. He appeared to exchange a few words with Trott, in particular, and perhaps disturbed by the combination of that incident and reaching his century, he fell to a loose drive against a wide delivery a few moments later.His departure precipitated a collapse. Roelof van der Merwe was bowled first ball, attempting an oddly lavish drive, while with 38 more required to avoid the follow-on, Jamie Overton hooked straight to long leg. Thornton finished with four wickets on debut and looks certain to win an extension to his three-month contract. His action is far from pretty but, as Lasith Malinga proved, unusual does not necessarily mean unhelpful.So Warwickshire enforced the follow-on. But two hours was never going to be enough to force victory on this pitch. Still, this was comfortably their best performance of the Championship season and news that Boyd Rankin is back in 2nd XI action and Olly Stone is continuing to improve might encourage them further.Few who were present will recall many of those details, though. This was a day to marvel and celebrate Trescothick’s longevity and excellence. And don’t go thinking that he is coming to the end. A man who knew he required 29 in the first innings to reach 25,000 first-class runs will know he needs just over 2500 more to overhaul Gimblett’s record tally of 21,142 for Somerset. Few would bet against him.”That seems a long way off,” he said. “But I don’t envisage stopping any time soon. There are a lot more years yet to continue with what I’ve got to do. Hopefully I can continue to tape the body up. As long as I’m good enough, I’ll continue to play. I still love playing cricket.”

Ever since Sandro Tonali joined Newcastle United, the running joke has been his constant lack of smile, with many quick to joke that the Italian would much rather still be at AC Milan, rather than the Magpies.His debut display showed anything but an uncommitted player, however, with the Italian putting in an impressive first shift as a Newcastle player. We may not have got that big smile yet, but Eddie Howe certainly has reason to remain positive about his new arrival.With Champions League football to think about in the coming campaign, every player in Howe’s squad will have a job to do. And, given Tonali’s price tag of £55m, he, more so than others, will have the pressure on him to perform.Just 23, the midfielder has the chance to become a constant feature in a potential era to remember at St James’ Park.

Sandro Tonali impresses on Newcastle debut

And while not every new signing is having a great pre-season – check out Kai Havertz at Arsenal for instance – it appears the new NUFC man is settling in smoothly on the pitch.

As you can see from the video, Tonali’s performance, whilst not exactly flashy, was incredibly neat and tidy. Meanwhile, something to note was how physical the Italian was, which should see him settle into the intensity of Premier League football rather quickly.

He also played a part in the build-up to the first goal of the game, playing a fine first-touch pass to grab himself a pre-assist.

Newcastle ran out 2-1 winners at Ibrox against Rangers in what was Alan McGregor’s testimonial match. The Magpies initially took the lead through Miguel Almiron, before Sam Lammers equalised for the hosts after the break.

Securing the victory late on, Harrison Ashby found the back of the net in the 87th minute to hand Newcastle a solid second game of pre-season against the Scottish Premiership side.

Howe’s side started their pre-season against Gateshead, of course, winning 3-2 in a back-and-forth affair as they came back from two goals down.

The Newcastle manager commented on his side’s most recent display, saying: “Bits of the first half was outstanding, some really good football.

“Second half wasn’t as pretty and clean but there were a lot of changes, we managed to find a way to win again and that’s a great thing.”

What kind of player is Sandro Tonali?

Tonali is not a player that will necessarily leave you in awe. But he is a player that you’ll look back on as an important cog in a well-oiled machine, sitting at the base of a midfield three.

To get a better understanding of his talents, Football FanCast have done an in-depth profile on the player which you can read here.

The Italian’s arrival is particularly positive for Bruno Guimaraes, who will have a greater license to advance into a more offensive role next season, such is the discipline of Tonali.

Last season, the Brazilian was involved in 10 goals in all competitions, scoring five and assisting a further five. Suddenly, however, those numbers could increase even more if he is allowed to advance more often.

Tonali certainly has plenty of time to improve, too, given the fact that he’s just 23. And, with that, giving him time to settle wouldn’t exactly be a bad thing. After all, he’s not coming into a Newcastle side in desperate need of reinforcements.

After his debut performance, though, it’s clear that the Magpies have got themselves a player who is more than capable of stepping into England’s top flight, perhaps helping his new side to even greater heights than last season.

Here are some Twitter reactions after his eye-catching display.

Brendon McCullum’s injury reduces Lions’ pool of fit overseas players to four: Dwayne Smith, Aaron Finch, James Faulkner and Chirag Suri

ESPNcricinfo staff05-May-2017Brendon McCullum will miss the last three matches of Gujarat Lions’ IPL 2017 season after suffering a left hamstring strain in the match against Delhi Daredevils on Thursday. Lions were knocked out of contention for playoffs after their seven-wicket defeat to Daredevils.McCullum’s injury reduces Lions’ pool of fit overseas players to four: Dwayne Smith, Aaron Finch, James Faulkner and UAE’s Chirag Suri. Injuries had earlier ruled out allrounder Dwayne Bravo and fast bowler Andrew Tye, while Jason Roy has returned to England on international duty.In a tweet, McCullum stated that the “compressed tournament and long travel” had taken a toll.

Injuries are not ideal but part of our sport. Compressed tournament & long travel can be gruelling. Sorry for not being there all the way.

— Brendon McCullum (@Bazmccullum) May 5, 2017

With 319 runs in 11 matches at a strike rate of 147, McCullum is currently the second-highest run-getter for Lions this season, following up on the 354 runs he hit last season.The side, however, has struggled to match its performance from 2016 when they had reached the playoff stage. So far this season, they have three wins in 11 matches.They are also expected to be without fast bowler Nathu Singh for the rest of the tournament, reportedly due to back spasms.Lions are scheduled to play one away match – against Kings XI Punjab in Mohali [May 7] – followed by two home matches against Daredevils [May 10] and Sunrisers Hyderabad [May 13] in Kanpur.

Tottenham Hotspur "maintain contacts" for Bayer Leverkusen defender Piero Hincapie as Ange Postecoglou scours the market for new defenders, according to reports.

Who are Spurs signing this summer?

Spurs chairman Daniel Levy and Lilywhites officials have been busy so far this summer, having already secured deals for goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario, playmaker James Maddison and winger Manor Solomon on a free transfer.

Vicario has put pen to paper on a move from Empoli, a move that has cost the club around £17.2 million, while Maddison's transfer from Leicester City set Tottenham back just £45 million. Solomon, who is apparently set to sign his Spurs contracts today after completing a medical, will join on a Bosman deal from Shakhtar Donetsk.

Postecoglou, speaking after his side secured both Vicario and Maddison, claimed the duo have exactly what it takes in terms of charisma to become successful at Spurs.

“It’s not just about the talent they bring as footballers," said the Tottenham boss.

"It’s what they bring as people as well because we are going to play football that requires a certain type of personality and character.

“Both those guys have got it in abundance. I could hear it in their voices when I spoke to them. I had a couple of chats with both of them before we signed them and I knew that they were the right types to bring into the dressing room."

After bolstering key areas of the squad with the aforementioned additions, the goal now for Postecoglou is to strengthen his central defensive ranks with astute signings. Some media sources claim Spurs could even make multiple moves to reinforce that position of the team.

Tottenham leaked a woeful 63 league goals last season, the worst record of any top flight side above 15th in the table, something which they will be very keen to address this summer.

Wolfsburg's Micky van de Ven is a player of serious interest to the north Londoners and some reliable reports indicate they're edging closer to an agreement.

However, in case of any late twists or the event a deal goes south, Spurs and Levy do have alternative options they "maintain contacts" for.

As per TUTTOmercatoWEB and journalist Raimondo De Magistris, one of those defenders is Leverkusen's young centre-half Hincapie. The Ecuador international, who played at last year's 2022 World Cup in Qatar, is apparently on Tottenham's radar alongside Max Kilman of Wolves.

Spurs apparently remain in dialogue with Leverkusen over Hincapie, a player who could cost between £21m-£26 million – an affordable price if Levy wishes to sign more than one centre-back for Postecoglou.

How good is Piero Hincapie?

Described as "tenacious" and "comfortable" in possession by the Bundesliga official website, former Leverkusen head coach Gerardo Seoane has also praised Hincapie in the past.

The South American, who played 30 German top flight games last season and ranked among Leverkusen's best players, has been heralded for his "really impressive" career to date.

"We knew he had the potential," said Seoane.

"We're pleasantly surprised with how he's performing in the Bundesliga and Europe."

Hampshire opener Michael Carberry marked his return to first-class cricket after being diagnosed with cancer by scoring a century against Cardiff MCCU at the Ageas Bowl

ESPNcricinfo staff02-Apr-2017Hampshire opener Michael Carberry marked his return to first-class cricket after being diagnosed with cancer by scoring a century against Cardiff MCCU at the Ageas Bowl.Carberry was diagnosed with a cancerous tumour last July and missed the second half of the season. He returned to training shortly before Christmas and was part of Hampshire’s pre-season tour to Barbados last month where he showed good form.On the first day against Cardiff he opened the batting, scoring 100 off 121 balls before falling to David O’Sullivan and was given a standing ovation as he walked off.Last week, Carberry issued a statement thanking people for their support and looking ahead to the season.”I would like to thank my family, the club, the supporters and my team-mates worldwide for all the kind messages of support and love through another very tough time in my career and life,” he said.”There is still a long way to go to being ‘recovered’ fully, but the outpour of support from the cricket family has helped massively in getting me back playing, and I’m looking forward to another great summer with Hampshire.”Carberry has played six Tests for England including all five on the 2013-14 Ashes tour where he was England’s second-highest run-scorer behind Kevin Pietersen.

With Mauricio Pochettino officially starting his first day as head coach on Saturday, and another new signing being made in Nicolas Jackson, Chelsea can slowly start thinking about the start of the 2023-24 campaign.

The Blues continue to be linked with numerous names to join Jackson and Christopher Nkunku, with Juventus forward Dusan Vlahovic one of those being continually touted as a target for Pochettino.

According to Calcio Mercato, Chelsea have already held talks with the player's agent over a move for the Serbia international, who is also said to be wanted by Arsenal and Manchester United

Is Dusan Vlahovic a good option for Chelsea?

Vlahovic is clearly a man in demand if the rumours are to be believed, but the bare figures suggest any Premier League clubs showing an interest should perhaps think twice.

The 23-year-old looked superb in his final half-season with Fiorentina in 2021-22, recording 0.92 goals or assists every 90 minutes, as per FBref, leading to his £66.6m switch to Juventus.

However, that figure dropped to 0.67 in the second half of that season as he adapted to life at a new club, before falling further to 0.56 in his first full season at the Allianz Stadium.

This has largely been put down to head coach Massimiliano Allegri stifling Vlahovic, but that is not to say the former Partizan Belgrade player is devoid of blame.

As European football expert Siavoush Fallahi put it following Juve's loss to Milan in October, Vlahovic looked "really poor" in a Bianconeri side that played "without heart, soul and a game plan".

Even beyond the numbers, Chelsea have had numerous bad experiences when it comes to purchasing players from Serie A, from George Weah and Andriy Shevchenko to Ricardo Quaresma and Juan Cuadrado.

The most pertinent example is perhaps Hernan Crespo, who was signed for £16.8m from Inter Milan in 2003 – still a sizable fee at the time – as part of Roman Abramovich's major transformation.

However, having impressed in Serie A with Parma, Lazio and Inter, Crespo flopped during his two seasons at Stamford Bridge before being loaned to AC Milan.

The Argentinian, who like Vlahovic was able to link play as well as find the net, scored 20 goals in 49 Premier League appearances for Chelsea. While that is far from a disastrous return, Chelsea thought they were signing more than a 10-goal-a-season striker going by his Serie A stats, where he found the net 153 times.

Based on their past record of signing players from Serie A, plus Vlahovic's dwindling figures and Juve's supposed £70m valuation, Chelsea are surely better off looking elsewhere for another new attacker.

Everton are in desperate need of attacking reinforcements following another Premier League relegation scrap last season and now a new update has emerged on a potential transfer target.

Will Everton sign Allan Saint-Maximin?

According to 90min, Everton are one of the clubs interested in signing Newcastle United winger Allan Saint-Maximin this summer.

As per the report, the Toffees have been checking in on the player's situation at St James' Park alongside Crystal Palace and AC Milan, whilst he has also become the latest player to be targeted by Saudi Pro League clubs too as game time has been limited for the Frenchman during Newcastle's rebuild.

What positions can Allan Saint-Maximin play?

There is no doubt that Sean Dyche will be making a rebuild of the forward line at Goodison Park his top priority this summer with both departures and injuries plaguing Everton's ability to comfortably retain their top-flight status.

The Toffees have lost both Richarlison and Anthony Gordon over the last 12 months, whilst Dominic Calvert-Lewin's injury issues have only added to the Merseyside club's plight which led to them being the second-lowest scoring team (34) in the entire Premier League last season.

As a result, the signing of Saint-Maximin could bring Everton's attacking threat back to life next season as his explosive and energetic approach to the wider forward role could cause chaos for opponents and ultimately improve the performances significantly.

Despite the 26-year-old ace – who had his transfer fee reduced to £26m in January – often being pushed out of the first-team by his position competitors, he still managed to outperform Dyche's forward options in a number of key attacking attributes.

According to WhoScored, only Alex Iwobi tallied up more assists (7) than winger Saint-Maximin (5) last season, whilst he outperformed every single Everton player with his successful dribbles completed per game (2.3), as well as offering 1.2 key passes per 90 which is something only Dwight McNeil (1.4) and Iwobi (1.7) managed to better.

Not only that, the Newcastle star ranks in the top 10% of his positional peers across the top five European leagues for assists, progressive carries, successful take-ons, shot-creating actions and touches, demonstrating that he is one of the hottest forward prospects in Europe who can offer creative consistency for Everton.

Such numbers could well see him replace Richarlison's output, with the Brazilian impressing in similar metrics during his time at Goodison. Indeed, in his penultimate campaign with the club, he posted 1.8 successful dribbles per game.

The Premier League-proven talent has often been highly praised for his impact on Tyneside in the past, with Sky Sports pundit Gary Neville blown away by Saint-Maximin's skills:

"Honestly, he’s a massive threat and a nightmare for defenders. He creates chance after chance. He’s brilliant for Newcastle fans and a real positive part of the team.

"To see his speed, his movement, it’s absolutely breathtaking. We were defenders in the Premier League and played against lots of good players."

Replacing Richarlison was never going to be an easy task for Everton when he made the move to Tottenham Hotspur, however, there is now a real opportunity for Dyche to bring in a player with bags of technical ability and entertaining qualities in Saint-Maximin who could revive the presence in front of goal next season.

Rangana Herath took the last four wickets to seal a big win for Sri Lanka after Bangladesh’s top collapsed in the first hour of the final day

The Report by Andrew Fidel Fernando in Galle11-Mar-2017
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details5:48

Fernando: Herath a fourth-innings force of nature

Sri Lanka’s slow bowlers imposed their familiar chokehold over another fourth innings of a home Test match, uprooting batsmen as early as the second ball of the day, before sending the Test hurtling to its conclusion by the middle of the afternoon session.Leading the final charge was Rangana Herath. He was unstoppable as ever in defence of a score, and picked up record for most career wickets for a left-arm spinner en route to figures of 6 for 59. This was his 29th five-wicket haul overall, and his 10th in the fourth innings – no one in the history of the game has got more than seven.Batting in the fourth innings in Galle is among the most daunting of Test cricket’s challenges, and although Bangladesh suggested they might approach the task with spunk on the fourth afternoon, fell away quickly on Saturday. This was their third day-five collapse in four matches, having also failed to draw matches in Wellington and Hyderabad. Save for a 19-over stand between Mushfiqur Rahim and Liton Das, there was little in the way of resistance. They were eventually all out for 197 – 259 runs short of Sri Lanka.Their woes had begun immediately on day five. Soumya Sarkar, who had sped to fifty the previous afternoon, almost sent a catch to short leg off Asela Gunaratne first ball, but was out next ball in any case, Gunaratne’s offbreak jiving away from his defence to shave the top of off stump.The top order then quickly succumbed. Dilruwan Perera came to the crease to bowl to Mominul Haque, and trapped the batsman with much the same delivery that had got him out in the first innings. Flighted in to pitch on around middle stump, Perera turned the ball, beat the shot, and rapped a leaden-footed Mominul dead in front of middle stump. So scrambled was the batsman’s mind, that he even ventured a heedless review of that lbw decision though he never really thought he had a chance of surviving it – walking most of the way to the boundary before the third-umpire could even run the simulations.Tamim Iqbal soon sent a catch to slip off Perera, before Herath made his presence known with a double-strike that drew him level with Daniel Vettori’s career wicket tally of 362. Shakib Al Hasan was caught at leg slip off one that turned a little more than the batsman expected, then two balls later, Mahmudullah was lbw to a delivery that spun past his defence as well. At that stage, Bangladesh had lost five wickets in 12.4 overs.Mushfiqur and Liton mounted a brief fight through the back end of the first session, lending hope that Bangladesh might be able to survive until the afternoon rains came. But by now Galle’s pitch – itself often a force of nature – had become unfriendly, and even the bad balls turned far enough to draw mistakes. Lakshan Sandakan turned a ball way down the legside in the over after lunch, and Mushfiqur got himself out chasing it and offering a thin edge to the keeper. Sandakan had dismissed Shakib in similar style in the first innings.Herath then soon had Liton caught off the leading edge at cover to take his 363rd Test wicket – which made him the game’s most successful left-arm spinner – and the tail exposed now, the result seemed inevitable. Taskin Ahmed, Mehedi Hasan and Mustafizur Rahman all fell to Herath. All up, Bangladesh could only last 45.2 of the 98 overs they were due to bat on the day.

Leeds United's transfer policy for this summer window has already been well-documented, with interim sporting director Nick Hammond seeking to hone his focus on domestic markets.

Already the Whites have largely been linked with lower-Premier League or upper-Championship talents, in an effort to escape the latter at the first time of asking.

However, the 49ers must first choose the new manager who will hopefully spearhead this venture before they can truly delve into the market.

That is not to suggest that they will not still gather options, as one report from early June suggests that Sory Kaba is an anomaly within their list of targets.

Despite spending half of last term on loan at Cardiff City, the hulking striker has now returned to his parent club FC Midtjylland, fresh off some blistering form in the English second division.

Should the Yorkshire outfit make a move to bring him back to the league, it could mark the acquisition of a man already well-versed in finding the net at this level as well as the end of the line for Patrick Bamford.

Who is Sory Kaba?

The 29-year-old forward endured arguably his toughest year since moving to Elland Road, having struggled with injuries and then failing to recapture any semblance of form when it mattered.

Many would look to his high-profile misses as a huge factor in their relegation, given the forward failed to score a whopping 13 big chances across the league campaign.

This understandably fed into his 6.60 average Sofascore rating, given the nearest tally within the squad for such a miserable metric sat at just four.

Whilst the England dud was squandering sitters, the 27-year-old Bluebirds ace was finding the back of the net with some regularity. As such, he could well be the striker that finally sends Bamford packing.

Eight goals and one assist in 17 Championship appearances marked an admirable return, and across all competitions including his initial spell in Denmark, he would notch 18 goal contributions.

Blending this lethal nature with a 6 foot 3 frame too, he clearly boasts the physicality to compete within English football, with manager Sabri Lamouchi praising the in-form front man in March:

"This is the challenge for him, to be the best scorer for this team. He can do that. He's scored important goals, he's given us important points and is doing a job. I'm happy for him and happy for the team."

Leeds will be desperate to secure a consistent source of goals for the coming season regardless of who ends up in charge, and this £15k-per-week finisher offers a perfect option to provide just that.