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An unbeaten 108 from Ajinkya Rahane pushed India’s lead to 304 on the third day of the second Test in Kingston, but rain made sure India didn’t have a go at the West Indies batsmen on day three

The Report by Alagappan Muthu01-Aug-2016
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details1:21

Manjrekar: Rahane will be proud of his workman-like innings

A Test match can be a bit like a pup: great players can lead it wherever they want. This West Indian XI does not have great players. They have great triers. Captain Jason Holder and coach Phil Simmons put the men on defence – understandable considering the opposition had a fat lead. Their best efforts have taken the Test to a point where the weather can threaten what once looked a certain victory for India. A tropical storm has been forecast to hit the region on the fourth day with India declaring 304 runs ahead and West Indies yet to bat in the second innings.Ajinkya Rahane found himself part of a pattern, one that has been central to India’s success on this tour of the Caribbean. They have batted eleven-and-a-half sessions in this series. And a set batsman had been out there most of the time. Shikhar Dhawan, Virat Kohli and R Ashwin began the trend in Antigua. It continued with KL Rahul on day two and Rahane on day three, who went on to score his seventh Test hundred. This is the eighth straight series that he has scored a score of at least 90 in.India were not panicking about the weather. The mountains on the horizon were obscured by heavy cloud. The rain break came 10 overs after lunch and spirited 52 minutes out of the game. Offspinning allrounder Roston Chase took two wickets in two balls and had them eight down soon after play resumed. The run-scoring stayed sedate.Virat Kohli, sipping a hot beverage in the dressing room, was still in his training gear. He was clearly not thinking about the declaration. Perhaps Rahane approaching a Test century away from home had something to do with that. And with only Nos. 10 and 11 for company, he began to farm the strike. This was where West Indies’ discipline paid off. They had given away only 142 runs in 46.1 overs. They made India bat long for a lead they liked.Rahane squirted an outside edge between slip and the wicketkeeper in the 170th over to reach his third hundred in four innings, captured on camera by the coach Anil Kumble and celebrated vigorously by his team-mates. The locals at Sabina Park had something to cheer too when Chase induced a top edge from Umesh Yadav to wrap up his first five-for in his second Test. With a high-arm action resembling Nathan Lyon, he got the ball to dip and bounce. Earlier, Amit Mishra failed to get to the pitch of one and was caught at short leg. Seconds later Mohammed Shami was bowled playing down the wrong line. Chase wore a sheepish grin on day two when he conceded he hadn’t liked going without a wicket on debut. Now he was leading his team off.While it will be debated if India needed to bat on after the first rain break, or if they batted on to let Rahane reach his hundred – he was 83 when the rain came down – the fact remains that India had now batted West Indies out of the match. It remained to be seen if India would give enough time to register their first set of consecutive wins outside Asia since 2006, but they were assured they were not going to lose this one.

Manchester City will have to try and claim a positive result against Real Madrid in the second leg of their Champions League fixture without Nathan Ake, as reported by CityXtra.

What is the Man City vs Real Madrid team news?

The Premier League outfit are tantalisingly close to another European final, with only Real Madrid in their path on the route to get there. Pep Guardiola’s outfit will have to overcome the La Liga giants before they can even begin to think about a potential place in the showcase fixture against Inter in Istanbul.

The club fared well in the first leg of the semi-final tie though, managing to come away with a 1-1 draw. It was Vinicius Jr who struck first, putting the Spanish team in front in the first half of the competition despite Erling Haaland having a couple of half-chances to give his own side the lead beforehand. However, the Premier League side kept on pushing and were rewarded in the 67th minute, as a fierce strike from Kevin De Bruyne flew into the back of the net and levelled the scores.

Karim Benzema had an excellent opportunity to give his side the lead again ten minutes from time, only for Ederson to produce a super save and with that, the match ended in a draw.

City gave a good account of themselves and will now fancy their chances, on an even keel, of pulling off a result in the second leg at the Etihad Stadium. However, ahead of the fixture, Pep Guardiola has revealed a blow to the side in terms of injury news.

Speaking to the press this week, via CityXtra, the Catalan revealed that the club are set to be without Nathan Ake for the match against Madrid. The defender didn’t feature in the first leg of the fixture through injury and he will be sidelined for the return tie now too.

It will be a positive though for City supporters to hear that, aside from the former Bournemouth man, Guardiola has given the rest of his team a clean bill of health. Speaking about his squad’s fitness ahead of the game, Guardiola said: “Except Nathan [Ake], everyone is fit."

How will Man City lineup against Real Madrid?

It will be a blow to not have Ake available again considering how highly he is rated in the game. Virgil Van Dijk, who features in the same national team with the Netherlands, has called the player "fantastic" in the past for example and he has only got better at City. There is not a whole lot the club can do about his absence though and they will have to work with what they've got.

It wouldn’t be surprising to see Pep Guardiola pick a very similar team to the one that claimed the initial draw against Madrid, although the boss has hinted that he may switch things up for this next clash.

His side dominated possession, with a 55% share over the La Liga outfit, and they also passed the ball around with aplomb managing a 91% pass success rate over the course of the match. The only issue was their inability to create and finish chances, with the side having less big chances than Madrid and also having less shots in general than their Spanish rivals.

If Guardiola can get his team to make possession count in this next fixture, then it could go a long way towards helping the team to book their place in the final of the Champions League.

Liverpool are interested in signing Ajax centre-back Jurrien Timber this summer, ahead of what is set to be a score of sweeping changes at Anfield.

What's the latest on Jurrien Timber to Liverpool?

Ex-Netherlands star Andy van der Meyde expects Reds boss Jurgen Klopp to complete a transfer for the dynamic defender (as relayed by TEAMtalk), who is said to be touted at €50m (£44m) by his Amsterdam outfit.

This follows previous seasonal reports from the likes of 90min, who credited Liverpool with a strong interest in the defender, alongside top European clubs such as Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur and Bayern Munich.

The 21-year-old still has two years remaining on his current deal with De Godenzonen, but if the likes of Liverpool do put forth a compelling offer, it would appear his departure from his homeland's capital would be a formality.

Should Liverpool sign Jurrien Timber?

While the emphasis will be on bolstering the midfield this summer at Anfield, with the central issues highlighted all season and James Milner, Naby Keita and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain all departing upon the expiry of their respective contracts, the defence has not been as imperious as it once was.

Timber is one of the most robust defenders in world football; as per FBref, the 15-cap Netherlands international ranks among the top 12% of positional peers at a similar level of competition for rate of assists, the top 3% for shot-creating actions and the top 5% for successful take-ons per 90, as well as the top 1% for pass completion, progressive passes and progressive carries.

These metrics illustrate an all-encompassing aura that leaves him in good stead to flourish at one of Europe's first-rate outfits.

Virgil van Dijk, Liverpool's star £75m colossus, is a prime example for Timber to emulate, while Manchester City defender Rúben Dias could also be the perfect confrere, having soared into prominence since his £65m move to the Etihad Stadium in 2019.

The £180k-per-week Portuguese phenom ranks among the top 1% of defenders across Europe's top five leagues for passes attempted per 90 and the top 2% for pass completion, while he has been hailed as a "man mountain" by former Citizen Michael Ball.

Albeit not at the same level, Timber clearly boasts similar qualities, and has been dubbed "tenacious" by talent scout Jacek Kulig, which illustrates the unrelenting intensity that goes in tandem with Klopp's tactical vision.

Timber is a future "leader" – as praised by Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag – and could cement the fluidity of the Reds' backline for years to come, enriching the club's prospects of clinching silverware in abundance over the next decade.

Teenage left-arm spinner Callum Parkinson took three wickets on debut as a depleted Derbyshire attack responded impressively to adversity on the first day at Leicestershire

ECB Reporters Network04-Aug-2016
ScorecardNed Eckersley held the Leicestershire first innings together•Getty ImagesTeenage left-arm spinner Callum Parkinson took three wickets on debut as a depleted Derbyshire attack responded impressively to adversity on the first day of the Specsavers County Championship match against promotion candidates Leicestershire.With pacemen Will Davis and Ben Cotton both injured, and overseas player Hamish Rutherford perhaps surprisingly left out, Derbyshire gave a first-class debut to wicketkeeper Alex Mellor, on loan from Warwickshire, as well as to Parkinson. There were also first first-class appearances of the season for seamers Alex Hughes and Tom Milnes.Foxes’ skipper Mark Cosgrove won the toss and chose to bat, but Milnes struck early, finding the edge of Angus Robson’s bat with a delivery which swung away from the right-hander. Wayne Madsen held a sharp catch low down at third slip.The experienced pairing of Paul Horton and Neil Dexter batted solidly, however, with Dexter looking in particularly good touch. He had hit six fours, mostly driven through the off side, when an uncharacteristic flash at a wide delivery from former Leicestershire allrounder Shiv Thakor shortly before the break saw him edge a catch behind.Leicestershire resumed after lunch on 102 for 2, but 19-year-old Parkinson – twin brother of Lancashire legspinner Matt – first bowled Cosgrove, who went back to a ball which turned and stayed a touch low, for 14, and then had Paul Horton caught behind for 42 with a delivery which bounced more than the opener expected.Thakor then picked up the wicket of Mark Pettini for 13, leg before to a well-pitched up delivery which also stayed a fraction low.A stand of 68 for the sixth wicket between Niall O’Brien and Ned Eckersley saw Leicestershire pick up their first batting bonus point, but O’Brien became the third Leicestershire batsman to reach 40 but fail to go on when he went leg before to the very occasional offspin of Wayne Madsen, playing for turn that was not there.Eckersley looked in good touch, however, and found a positive partner in Clint McKay. The big Australian pulled Thakor for a massive six early in his innings, and had hit 40 from 42 balls in adding 83 with Eckersley for the seventh wicket when he swung and missed at Parkinson, who finished with 3 for 64 from 26 overs.Eckersley was unbeaten at the close, on 73 – comfortably the highest score of the day – made from 160 balls.

Just a week on from wrapping up the league title, Scottish champions Celtic were brought crashing back down to earth with a disappointing derby defeat away at Ibrox this afternoon, with the hosts running out 3-0 winners on what was a rare off day for Ange Postecoglou's men.

Prior to today, the Hoops hadn't lost in the Scottish Premiership against their bitter rivals since the Greek-Aussie's first Old Firm encounter back in August 2021, although that unbeaten run came to an end in devastating fashion in what was a dominant showing for the Light Blues.

While the result itself will matter little in the grand scheme of things, the Parkhead outfit may still be concerned by the manner of the performance, as goals from Todd Cantwell, John Souttar and Fashion Sakala gave Michael Beale the first derby win of his Gers tenure.

As for his counterpart, Postecoglou, the 57-year-old may well be regretting his decision to leave the likes of Daizen Maeda, Greg Taylor and Kyogo Furuhashi out of the starting lineup, with the latter man's absence, in particular, having been felt due to the woes of his striking replacement, Oh Hyeon-Gyu.

How did Oh perform against Rangers?

With Kyogo – who has scored five goals against the Ibrox side so far this season – resigned to a rare substitute role, this afternoon's meeting had offered a chance for January arrival, Oh, to feature from the start, although the South Korean ace simply failed to take his opportunity.

The £2.5m addition – who has scored four times for the Glasgow giants to date – was rather anonymous in his centre-forward berth, having been restricted to a measly tally of just seven touches in his 63-minute outing, while registering just one pass in that time.

The 22-year-old was also unable to offer a real physical presence when leading the line despite his 6 foot 1 frame as he failed to win either of his two total duels, having simply been "bullied" by the likes of Souttar and Connor Goldson, according to journalist Josh Bunting.

The three-cap dud also spurned a gilt-edged chance to get on the scoresheet in the first half after seeing his clever, dinked effort strike the post, with that near miss having perhaps epitomised what was a day to forget for the stand-in striker.

As Glasgow Live's Will Lancaster noted, that failure to convert showcased that Oh 'just lacked that clinical edge that Kyogo usually brings', with such an underwhelming display having been a further indication of the latter man's importance to Postecoglou's side.

Australia’s captain Steven Smith has conceded that his team has plenty of improvement left in them despite their victory in the tri-series final against West Indies in Barbados on Sunday

Brydon Coverdale27-Jun-20162:58

‘Our fielding needs a lot of work’ – Smith

Australia’s captain Steven Smith has conceded that his team has plenty of improvement left in them despite their victory in the tri-series final against West Indies in Barbados on Sunday. The win extended Australia’s margin as the No.1-ranked ODI side in the world and they have now lost only one of their past eight ODI series, the Chappell-Hadlee Trophy campaign in New Zealand this year.That run of success includes the 2015 World Cup triumph, but from that team they have lost Michael Clarke, Shane Watson, Brad Haddin and Mitchell Johnson to retirement. Under Smith, the Australians will aim to add another significant piece of silverware to their trophy cabinet next year when the Champions Trophy tournament is held in England.The post-World Cup exodus of experience has left Australia without any current hundred-game players in ODIs, although a solid core are in the 50- to 80-game range: Smith (79), George Bailey (76), David Warner (74), Matthew Wade (68), Glenn Maxwell (67), Aaron Finch (64), James Faulkner (54) and Mitchell Starc (51). It is this group that will lead Australia into the Champions Trophy and while they will likely enter the tournament as favourites, Smith knows it won’t be easy.”We’ve still got a lot of work to do,” Smith said after the tri-series final. “I was pleased with the way we scrapped today. I’m using that word a lot, but it’s been a bit of a theme throughout this series with the wickets we’ve been playing on. I was pleased we were able to get the job done. Our fielding still needs a lot of work. We need to be able to have the energy we had today in every game, and there’s no reason why we shouldn’t.”We’ve got to continue to start well with the ball. In the last three or four series we’ve been up against some pretty dynamic opening batters, but they’ve got the better of us at the start. We’ve been lucky enough to pull it back in the middle overs and bowl pretty well at the death. We’ll make things a lot easier for ourselves if we start really well.”There were no such issues against West Indies in the final. The first ten overs brought 48 for 0 but Josh Hazlewood struck in the next over with the first of his five wickets, and Mitchell Marsh claimed wickets in three consecutive overs to leave West Indies in trouble at 74 for 4 after 21 overs in their chase of 271.”I think Josh is getting better and better every day,” Smith said. “He’s getting more comfortable in his body. He’s been on the park for a significant amount of time now and he’s very comfortable in that regard. That’s a start. His skill set is outstanding. He hits terrific lengths, hits the seam and he’s getting better and better every day. I’m really pleased for him to win the Man of the Series in this particular series.”I thought the way Mitchell used his variations today was spot on. He’s come a long way in this series. I thought he batted beautifully the other day [league match against West Indies] and I guess he’s just going to gain a lot more confidence out of what he did the other day and what he’s done today. I’m really pleased for him.”That Australia had a decent total to defend was largely down to the work of wicketkeeper Wade, whose 57 from 52 balls batting at No.7 ensured that 173 for 6 did not become all-out in the low 200s. Wade has been Australia’s preferred ODI wicketkeeper since the retirement of Haddin last year, and in that time has made 352 runs at 32.00, with three fifties from 15 innings.”I thought Matthew Wade played beautifully,” Smith said. “He played with a lot of composure and played good cricket shots, and batted with the tail, who stuck around and did a terrific job to get us to 270. That was incredibly pleasing.”I think he can take a lot of confidence out of the way he played today. He’s played pretty well with the bat throughout the series as well. I’ve watched him in the nets, he’s probably hitting the ball as well as anyone. I wasn’t surprised that he was able to do what he did today. I’m pleased for him.”No doubt he was disappointed about not keeping at the World Cup. You’ve got to be disappointed with that. He’s been great around the group. He’s been very vocal. He gets the guys up as much as he can drive the energy. That’s what the keeper needs to do, and he’s done that very well throughout this series.”

Manchester United suffered a late 1-0 defeat to Brighton in the Premier League on Thursday evening.

It was nearly a repeat of the score line when Erik ten Hag’s side took on the Seagulls at Wembley a matter of weeks ago.

It took a penalty shoot out on that occasion to ensure a place in the FA Cup final but no such luck fell United’s way this week.

Instead, the good fortune went to Roberto De Zerbi as Alexis Mac Allister popped up in the 99th minute to send the home support wild.

it wasn’t a positive night for the Old Trafford outfit at all, as Ten Hag took a brunt of criticism for his behaviour on the touchline.

What did Ten Hag do againsg Brighton?

Last weekend Jurgen Klopp went viral for his reaction to Liverpool’s winning goal against Tottenham.

The German dashed down the touch line and in the process of injuring his hamstring, decided to scream in the face of the fourth official.

Ten Hag wasn’t quite a boisterous as the Liverpool boss on Thursday but he had his own encounter at the Amex.

indeed, footage has been pinpointed during the game a moment where the Dutchman had an angry exchange with the linesman.

After the way Klopp was criticised for his actions last weekend, fans were keen to ensure Ten Hag didn’t get away lightly either.

The best of the reaction from around Twitter can be found below…

Holders Gloucestershire fell to arch rivals Somerset thanks to a game-chanfging last-wicket stand in front of 4,500 at Taunton

ECB Reporters Network05-Jun-2016
ScorecardChris Dent’s hundred was not enough to spare holders Gloucestershire•Getty ImagesJamie Overton and Tim Groenewald produced an unbroken last-wicket stand of 65 as Somerset pulled off a nerve-tingling one-wicket Royal London Cup win over arch-rivals Gloucestershire at Taunton.Chris Dent hit exactly 100 in holders Gloucestershire’s total of 260 all out. Jack Taylor made 43 and Benny Howell 35, while Roelof van der Merwe was involved in seven of the dismissals, three with his left-arm spin, three catches and a run-out.Somerset looked to be cruising at 166 for 3 in reply, Johann Myburgh leading the way with 81. But his dismissal brought a dramatic collapse to 198 for 9, with only James Hildreth of the other batsmen making an impression.It looked all over, but Overton (40 not out) and Groenewald (34 not out) had other ideas. The pair shared 6 fours and 3 sixes, surviving just one major run-out scare when wicketkeeper Gareth Roderick failed to gather a throw, before clinching victory with three balls to spare. A crowd of 4,600 enjoyed every moment.Groenewald said: “I think sharing a match-winning last-wicket stand against Surrey in our last Championship game gave me confidence that we could get the required runs. Jamie Overton played so well that it seemed easier than in the Surrey match.”Both innings gave me an equal buzz. When you think we also won a T20 game batting second on Friday, I can’t think of a better week in my career.”I just set out to bat properly and concentrate on each ball. The crowd were brilliant and we could really feel them behind us for every ball.”After Somerset had chosen to field, Craig Overton struck a major early blow with an outswinger that clipped the top of Michael Klinger’s off stump in the sixth over.It was 51 for 2 when Roderick cut Lewis Gregory and was caught by van der Merwe, two-handed diving to his left at cover. After ten overs Gloucestershire had progressed to 54 for two.Dent reached his half-century off 55 balls, with nine sweetly struck boundaries. Hamish Marshall helped take the total to 94 before he was bowled by Peter Trego’s second delivery of the game.The next ball saw Ian Cockbain play into the covers where van der Merwe dived and initially fumbled, but then recovered to effect a brilliant run-out, hitting the stumps at the bowlers’ end with a throw while still on the ground.Howell hit the first six of the game over long-on off van der Merwe before Dent reached a chanceless hundred off 107 balls, having extended his boundary count to 16.Without adding, the left-hander tried to drive Groenewald and only succeeded in giving another catch to van der Merwe. Howell and Jack Taylor batted sensibly to bring to take the score to 207 with ten overs left. But Howell then advanced to van der Merwe and feathered a catch to wicketkeeper Alex Barrow.Smith departed to a slog-sweep off van der Merwe and Gloucestershire’s last hope of reaching 300 disappeared when Taylor drove a wide ball from Jamie Overton to cover where van der Merwe took his best catch, low to his left.The hosts’ reply started badly as Adam Hose nicked a high catch to Klinger at slip off Matt Taylor and Peter Trego fell to a brilliant one-handed catch by Howell at short cover off Payne.Jim Allenby and Myburgh took the score to 79 before Allenby, on 29, launched an irresponsible swing at Howell and was bowled. Myburgh reached his half-century off 63 balls, with 7 fours, and had progressed to 81 when losing concentration and lofting Dent’s left-arm spin straight to Howell at long-off with 95 still needed.Lewis Gregory ran himself out attempting a suicidal single to short cover and when Hildreth got a leading edge to be caught and bowled by Smith, having looked untroubled, Somerset were in a hole at 181 for 6.Another wild swing by van der Merwe saw him bowled by Smith and five wickets had fallen for just 21 runs when Craig Overton was bowled by Howell.Payne produced a good one to bowl Alex Barrow and it seemed Gloucestershire could celebrate. But Jamie Overton and Groenewald showed great shot selection to reduce the deficit before Overton drove Miles for the winning boundary in the final over of a riveting match.

Feyenoord are very worried Tottenham Hotspur managerial target Arne Slot could join the north Londoners, according to reports.

What's the latest Spurs manager news?

The Lilywhites and chairman Daniel Levy have commenced their search for Antonio Conte's replacement, but over a month after his departure, they're still yet to make an official announcement on who will come in.

In the meantime, it has been a turbulent time at Tottenham, with Spurs seeing two interim managers take charge.

Former temporary head coach Cristian Stellini, after a dismal 6-1 battering away to Newcastle United, was relieved of his duties after that result severely dampened Spurs' hopes of a top four Premier League finish.

Tottenham are now outside contenders for a Champions League place at best, with Man United possessing two games in hand on them whilst sitting nine points clear of Spurs in fourth.

The club are without a win in their last four league games with current interim boss Ryan Mason now more realistically fighting for a Europa League place.

Tottenham must also look ahead to next campaign and consider which manager is the best option to take them forward, with reports suggesting that former Bayern Munich boss Julian Nagelsmann is a prime contender for the job.

As well as Nagelsmann, it is believed that Slot, who is leading the Eredivisie with Feyenoord, is well and truly in Tottenham's thinking.

Now, journalists Etienne Verhoeff and Johan Inan have discussed the topic of Slot to Spurs (via Feyenoord Pings and Sport Witness).

There is a belief Feyenoord are 'holding their breath' and waiting for Tottenham to make a move for the tactician, with Inan getting the feeling for some time that Slot feels ready for another challenge – especially if an English club come calling.

What could Slot bring to Spurs?

The former AZ Alkmaar boss has been praised for both his attacking style and 'maniac' approach to games, witb Dutch football expert Marcel van der Kraan claiming just this to talkSPORT.

"He is very similar to Pep Guardiola, his ideas are very similar, he is a massive fan of Pep and he plays the same time.

“He goes ultra-attacking, he is almost like a maniac. Not on the touchline but it is fantastic to see how he has turned an average side into a wonderful attacking machine."

Van der Kraan, speaking to the same outlet, has also called Slot the 'most exciting' manager he's seen in the last 10 years.

He is arguably unlucky to not have more silverware in his locker, with Feyenoord reaching the Europa Conference League Final last season to unluckily lose to Jose Mourinho's Roma.

Scottish champions Celtic continue to march on toward a second successive league title under manager Ange Postecoglou, with the 57-year-old having fashioned a truly rampant outfit at Parkhead.

A key feature in the Greek-Aussie's tenure thus far has been his "exceptional" recruitment record thus far, according to former Hoops skipper Scott Brown, with the Old Firm outfit having only recently been able to ease the loss of Croatian star, Josip Juranovic by landing a "definite upgrade" in the form of Alistair Johnston, as per club legend, Stiliyan Petrov.

That transfer success, in particular, has showcased just how effectively Postecoglou has been able to move players on and bring in players in recent times, with such astute deals having been vital in the Glasgow side's current domestic dominance.

That being said, however, there may be those that the former Yokohama F.Marinos will ultimately regret allowing to leave during his tenure, with Scotland international Ryan Christie among those to have thrived elsewhere in recent times.

The 28-year-old – who made the move to Bournemouth on a £2.5m deal back in the summer of 2021 – first proved vital in steering the Cherries to promotion from the Championship last season, providing 11 goals and assists in the league alone in that 2021/22 campaign.

The one-time Aberdeen ace has also since blossomed amid the step-up to the Premier League, having been hailed as a "really important player" for the south coast side by manager Gary O'Neil.

That being said, however, Postecoglou may well have had little choice but to cash on the 37-cap playmaker at the time with just over a left to run on his existing deal, while the Inverness native had at least been able to mark his mark at the club, providing 85 goal involvements in just 151 games in all competitions.

The same cannot be said of another ex-Celtic talent who is beginning to flourish south of the border, however, with Luca Connell now looking "unbelievable" for League One side, Barnsley, according to manager Michael Duff.

Where is Luca Connell now?

It could well be argued that it was something of a mistake for the Hoops to have allowed the young midfielder to depart without ever giving him a chance to impress, with the Liverpool-born maestro remarkably never making a first-team appearance during his three-year spell at Paradise.

It had initially looked like a real coup when the Scottish Premiership side snapped up the then-teenager back in 2019, with Neil Lennon and co forking out around £350k in compensation to sign the youngster from Bolton Wanderers – amid rival interest from a 'number of clubs'.

Having been hailed as 'highly-rated' by Celtic's official website amid his arrival in Glasgow, Connell was ultimately something of a spare part over the next few years, after never being given a look in by either Lennon or Postecoglou.

That "bizarre" treatment of the 5 foot 11 ace – as per The Sun's Paul Dollery – culminated in his exit on a free transfer last summer, with the player himself admitting that the move to Scotland "didn’t go exactly as planned."

Since that release, however, the 22-year-old has thrived back in the EFL at Oakwell, having already scored twice and provided nine assists in 43 games for the promotion-chasing outfit this season.

The former Queen's Park loanee has made such an impression in his new surroundings that the aforementioned Duff suggested that the £4k-per-week dynamo will "definitely be a captain of a football club at some point", such is the "way he drives it and carries himself" both on and off the pitch.

For Celtic supporters to have not ever even seen the former Republic of Ireland youth international in action – unlike Christie – will be something of a headscratcher such is his current form, with it looking as if Postecoglou and co have let a truly exciting gem slip through their fingers without even raking in a transfer fee.