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This article is part of Football FanCast’s The Chalkboard series, which provides a tactical insight into teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

Leeds will go into the new season without Gaetano Berardi. They will also head into it without Pontus Jansson.

To say the Whites could be in bother defensively would perhaps be an understatement.

Jansson has, of course, departed for Brentford whilst Berardi’s red card from the play-offs last term will carry into the opening weekend.

As a result, Ben White will likely form a defensive pairing alongside Liam Cooper.

On the chalkboard

Leeds’ pre-season provided mixed results as Marcelo Bielsa’s men thrashed York before being beaten heavily themselves by Manchester United.

That 4-0 loss was a timely reminder of the work that’s still required in defence but a draw with Serie A outfit Cagliari again proved that work is needed.

The Whites weren’t poor defensively last season and ended the term with the third-best record in the Championship.

That may be surprising given some of the concerns by supporters during pre-season but despite White looking as though he’ll feature on the opening weekend, he still has lessons to learn.

His showing against Cagliari, despite looking composed in flashes, showed that unless he’s careful a baptism of fire may be on the cards.

A failed clearance led to the Italian side scoring against Leeds last weekend and if that had happened in a league outing, it would have been near unforgivable, especially if it cost them two points.

White may still only be 21 years of age but it shows why he needs to learn quickly if Leeds are to avoid a defensive calamity early on.

Placing faith in the young defender is a risk from Bielsa and with Leeds not signing another centre-back, he’ll have to step up.

An opening-day clash against Bristol City provides him with the ideal platform in which to stamp down his authority, especially with Berardi suspended.

Whether he can prove to be an able replacement for Jansson, only time will tell.

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Defending champions routed by 80 runs in Hove after Alsop, Coles star with the bat

ECB Reporters Network01-Jun-2025Sussex Sharks made it two wins out of two in the Vitality Blast when they marked their first home fixture with victory over Gloucestershire by 80 runs. But after their success last season it has been a disappointing start to the new campaign by Gloucestershire, who had been beaten by just four runs in their high-scoring opener against Kent.They needed 174 for victory here but were bundled out for 93, with only three batsmen making double figures. After making a bright start to their chase Gloucestershire soon ran into trouble. Ollie Robinson sent Cameron Bancroft’s off-stump cartwheeling to make it 19 for one and when D’Arcy Short was caught on the deep backward-square boundary they had lost both their Australian overseas players inside the first four overs.Miles Hammond then pulled a short ball from Tymal Mills to mid-wicket and one run later Jack Taylor had his off stump pegged back by the first delivery of the match from James Coles. It was 49 for five when Ben Charlesworth lofted Jack Carson to long-on. Carson had been brought into the team to counter the high number of left-handers in the Gloucestershire team.The dangerous James Bracey was still there but he couldn’t find anyone to hang around with him. It was 50 for six when Ollie Price, reverse sweeping, was caught behind off Carson and then Matt Taylor was stumped as he went down the wicket to Coles. David Payne had his middle stump plucked out by Tymal Mills to make it 88 for eight, Aman Rao was caught at mid-on to give Nathan McAndrew a wicket and finally Tom Smith was caught at midwicket to give Mills his third.Earlier, the Sussex innings had been built around a fine fourth-wicket stand of 105 in ten overs by Tom Alsop and the in-form Coles, before a collapse saw them lose their last seven wickets for 25 runs.Daniel Hughes looked in prime form on a true pitch, with a rapid outfield, and muscled six fours in his 19-ball 34 to give the home side some early impetus. But he was caught in two minds over his shot selection and tamely lofted Price – who had already bowled Harrison Ward – to mid-off. And Gloucestershire made it two wickets in two balls when John Simpson sliced his lofted drive against Matt Taylor and watched in horror as Hammond pulled off a sensational one-handed diving catch to make Sussex 43 for three in the sixth over.But then Alsop (58 off 35, with six fours and two sixes) and Coles (43 off 27, with four sixes) pulled the match towards their side. They set their violent tone when they each hit a six off the 11th over bowled by Tom Smith, which cost 17 runs.The 100 partnership came up in the 15th over. But from 148 for three at 15.1, when Sussex fancied a total in excess of 200, their innings perished before steady Gloucestershire bowling backed up by an outstanding fielding outfit. David Payne and Matt Taylor took three wickets apiece. But Sussex had already made enough.

[ad_pod ]Arsenal not only kept a rare clean sheet on Sunday, but they somehow did it away from home too.Last term, they had to wait until April to achieve a result without conceding on the road, but this campaign, they’ve managed to do it after just one game.It was a promising display from Arsenal who fielded Sokratis and Calum Chambers next to each other at the back.However, it was the performance of Chambers that seemed to please fans the most as they took to Twitter after the game to praise the versatile 24-year-old.One individual claimed they were happy that he didn’t leave the north Londoners during the summer whilst another said that a defender managing to do the basics at Arsenal was extraordinary.A further fan suggested he was the most underrated player at the Gunners as his performance was labelled as a confidence builder.[ad_pod ]Chambers spent last season on loan at Fulham but has come back to Arsenal ready and raring to play a major role.He featured often in pre-season in defence despite playing in holding midfield for large parts of 2018/19.Here’s the best of the reaction to Chambers’ performance on Sunday.

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With their playoff hopes all but over, the team is looking to build a squad for the future

Deivarayan Muthu29-Apr-20252:28

Mhatre wows Pujara and Finch with IPL debut fireworks

Chennai Super Kings (CSK) have helped rejuvenate the careers of India internationals like Ajinkya Rahane and Shivam Dube in the recent past, but with their IPL 2025 playoffs hopes all but gone, they are hoping to ease the transition into next season by bringing in youngsters like 17-year-old Ayush Mhatre and Dewald Brevis, who turned 22 on the eve of CSK’s game against Punjab Kings (PBKS), and see how they go at the highest level.Batting coach Michael Hussey spoke about the young talents they have at their disposal on Tuesday adding that CSK really need to get better at scouting them and nurturing them. “I think it’s one area that we’ve really identified that we want to improve on is that talent identification side of things,” he said at the press conference.”So, we have had different players come in and train with us at various stages, almost on trial a little bit, but also when their names come up for an auction, then at least we’ve seen them, we’ve had eyes on them. I mean, we get sent all the videos, packages and stuff. But to be able to actually watch them in the flesh, it does give you a bit more to go on.”Wednesday’s IPL game will feature four uncapped Indian batters opening for the first time in the league’s history. Having used Rachin Ravindra, Devon Conway and Rahul Tripathi as openers without much success, CSK have turned to Mhatre, who had impressed their team management during a mid-season trial at Chepauk, and Andhra’s Shaik Rasheed, who had not played in the IPL before this season.CSK have blooded the pair and Brevis into their team after putting them in match-simulation training at their high-performance academy on the outskirts of Chennai. Some overseas players, including those from New Zealand and West Indies, have also recently trained at the academy to prepare for subcontinent tours.Michael Hussey: We’ve had [Shaik Rasheed] with us now for, well, at least a couple of seasons and he’s a beautiful player•BCCI

“If we can play some practice games, see them [youngsters] under pressure, we can make more informed decisions about the talent that we’re looking at moving forward,” Hussey said. “So, it’s certainly one area that I think they’re putting a lot of time and effort into to make sure that we get the right talent moving forward.”They’re very important decisions. There’s so much talent in this country and [it’s about] picking the right ones. We’re still going to make mistakes, no question. But if we can make more informed decisions, then I think that will help the franchise moving forward.”Hussey believed that the work put in by the players and the staff at the academy could benefit CSK, if not right now, then at least in the future.”Yeah, even in situations like this [playoff hopes fading], as a coaching group, we’re looking for ways that we can do things better as well,” he said. “And it’s a magnificent facility, that high-performance centre. It’s a fantastic resource for us, so we should use it. And to be able to put players into situations in practice games that is closer to the match. I mean, we can bat in the nets, and that’s fine but to expose them in a match situation at practice is closer to what they’re going to experience in a match.”Hussey also said that the CSK team management will remain in close contact with the rookie players and will monitor their progress in their country’s leagues and domestic games so that they level up by IPL 2026. Mhatre has made starts in both of his innings so far but couldn’t press on. Rasheed did well on debut (27 off 19) but his most recent knock was a first-ball duck. Brevis was 17 off 17 against Sunrisers Hyderabad before he opened up and made 42 off 25.”Shaik Rasheed’s a good example [of a young player coming through the ranks],” Hussey said. “We’ve had him with us now for, well, at least a couple of seasons and he’s a beautiful player. But you’re right, we need to find out how he can go under pressure. So, yes, he’s got his opportunity now, and, you know, he’s handling it well at the moment. Like, obviously, he’ll want to get some more runs towards the back end of the season. But he’s certainly got the skill and the talent to be able to do it.”We’ll keep a close eye on them when they’re playing their domestic stuff as well and keep working with them. It’s not just working with them for this two-and-a-half months, it’s still communicating and working with them throughout the rest of the year as well, and seeing how they’re going, particularly in those pressure situations, seeing what their mentality is like.”

And just when it seemed that the storm is starting to die down just a little bit, something happens to set the whole situation ablaze once again. Paul Pogba has been one of Real Madrid’s not so secret wishes for the entirety of this summer.

Not only that but the saga of Pogba’s potential departure from Manchester United and his jump to the Galacticos’ embrace has now truly become a story of old; something that we’re already getting used to hearing, and it is less of a surprise every time we do.

But once the transfer window in the Premier League closed shut with Pogba still very much a Red Devil and Ed Woodward without any real big-name signings to compensate for that potential departure of the Frenchman, the story pretty much seemed finished. And now, there just might be an additional chapter there to be explored.

Pogba’s brother, Mathias, recently talked to the Madrid media, discussing how his brother might fit Real Madrid’s setup. Whether those comments could indicate something more solid than just words remains to be seen but they have coincided with claims the Frenchman is the only midfielder Zidane is interested in bringing in this summer.

Chasing Pogba at this stage, however, would not really be a good move for Perez and co.

Ever since Zidane returned back to take over the team once again, they have experienced mixed results. After a disastrous pre-season and a rather weak finish to the 2018/19 campaign, the first couple of bouts in the 2019/20 season saw some slight improvements.

Granted, this Real Madrid is still very much plagued by the same problems of old but the team, apart from their obvious fitness and injury-related setbacks, seems to be ticking rather well.

And one thing that seems somewhat resolved is the turmoil in the locker room. At least that’s how it looks like from the surface and what the club is giving to the public so far. Of course, when we say turmoil, it refers to the squabbles within the squad, particularly between Zidane and his beloved Gareth Bale.

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A similar thing could also be said for Pogba but there have been certain situations before that sparked some tension. Do Real Madrid actually need another potential “rebel” in the ranks?

This mentality issue can arguably be solved with the right leadership and would potentially disappear altogether if Pogba felt good about the transfer and his surroundings but those things cannot really be guaranteed right from the bat.

Looking strictly from a sporting point of view, however, things also get a little more complicated. While Pogba is a great asset offensively and offers a lot of creativity in his area with 13 goals and nine assists in the Premier League last season, he also lacks the defensive prowess Real Madrid’s midfielders need in order for the team to function as stably as possible.

Taking a note from last season’s stats – just 1.3 tackles and 0.5 interceptions per game – it might become a bit clearer as to why one would assume that, especially compared to some of the top players in the Premier League who offer a similar output offensively but also do a fair share of the defensive work. The likes of Tanguy Ndombele (2.4 tackles, 1.5 interceptions) or Bernardo Silva (1.4 tackles, 0.7 interceptions) are similarly creative and yet offer more off the ball.

Granted, at this point it would be a stretch to assume Pogba would absolutely not accept such duties if he was to be purchased by Real Madrid but just by purely looking at his past ventures with Manchester United, it seems at the very least that he’s not best suited to them. The Frenchman is simply better used when allowed to participate in the attacking spectres of the game.

While it is fairly understandable that some players simply excel at different things and one could say defending is not one of Pogba’s biggest strengths, this still comes down to Real Madrid’s choosing of the right target. Real Madrid conceded 46 times in La Liga last season – more goals than 13th-placed Leganes – so should they really be looking to throw an offensive player into the engine room?

Pogba not being a perfect defensive player is fine but should he then be chased in a transfer that could potentially cost a lot of money, given his estimated value of £90m and his reputation? With the transfer window about to close, the best thing Real Madrid can do is move on from the French powerhouse and consider alternative targets for when January comes around.

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After they won their first home game of IPL 2025, Kohli felt RCB were finally getting to grips with their batting template at the Chinnaswamy

ESPNcricinfo staff24-Apr-20251:28

Rayudu: ‘This is the exact template RCB would love Kohli to play’

After three consecutive home defeats featuring underwhelming batting displays, Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) finally posted a total north of 200 at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium to set up a thrilling win over Rajasthan Royals (RR). Virat Kohli, who top-scored with 70, said the batting unit had discussed what they needed to do differently, and on Thursday they were able to apply themselves and find a template that worked.”We’ve had three pretty average games at home and we discussed a few things in the batting unit that we need to get right and I think we applied ourselves well enough today to get that total on the board,” Kohli told the host broadcaster after RCB’s first home win of IPL 2025. “We felt like the pitch wasn’t as flat as the score displayed on the scoreboard.”Unlike in their previous three home games, where they lost at least three wickets in the powerplay trying to take on the bowlers, RCB got through the first six overs against RR with all their wickets intact. And after Phil Salt became the first batter to be dismissed in the seventh over, Kohli and Devdutt Padikkal put on a 95-run stand to set up a grand finish.Related

• RCB finally get the 'monkey off their back' as RR's season continues to go nowhere

• RCB have the (Hazle)wood on their opponents now

• Kohli and Hazlewood break RCB's home duck as RR botch another chase

• Parag: We didn't show enough intent against the spinners

“I think the template is simple, you know, one of the guys to kind of bat through and the others to kind of attack around him,” Kohli said. “So I have that responsibility. I know this pitch very well, so does Devdutt. So yeah, that was basically the plan. Let Salty do his thing and then once we have a couple of wickets down, then really capitalise and rebuild and yeah, today it paid off.”On the eve of the match, RCB captain Rajat Patidar had called on the batters to focus on their shot selection, and Kohli underlined the change in approach that helped them on Thursday.”There’s pace and bounce in the first three-four overs with the new ball, especially in the first innings. So I think we were trying to force the shots a bit too much in the last three games.”Today, we kind of let the ball come to us and, you know, really time the ball into the gaps and I think that was the adjustment and the application that I spoke about to assess the pitch and then find our options and then hopefully put enough pressure on the opposition for them to keep giving us boundary balls, which was the case today and we were able to capitalise on those.”Devdutt Padikkal and Virat Kohli put on a 95-run stand•Associated Press

RCB posted 205 for 5, a total that RR fell 11 runs short of despite looking comfortable for large parts of their chase. That RCB prevailed was thanks largely to Josh Hazlewood’s excellent spell at the death.”[205] was enough in the end, but at one stage, I thought maybe [we needed] a few more,” Kohli said. “That’s the tricky part right now. We’ve figured out a way to bat now, so [the batters] have more confidence.”So heading into the last three more home games, I think we should be in a better position to try and get those 25-30 extra runs.”Kohli highlighted the importance of the toss in Bengaluru, citing dew as an important factor helping chasing teams. For the fourth home game in a row, Patidar lost the toss on Thursday.”I think the first challenge is to win the toss, to be honest, because the first half and second half … the second half you kind of have a look at the pitch,” Kohli said. “Also, the dew comes in, so it becomes a bit of an advantage. So we’ve been fighting hard to kind of get the total on the board in the first innings. We’ve fallen short by 25-30.”Today, we were able to get past 200, so that always kept us in the game.”

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This article is part of Football FanCast’s Opinion series, which provides analysis, insight and opinion on any issue within the beautiful game, from Paul Pogba’s haircuts to League Two relegation battles…

West Ham United have made a major mistake this summer.

The club have signed Sebastian Haller, the striker who was prolific at Eintracht Frankfurt, and Pablo Fornals, the Spain Under-21 attacking midfielder.

They have lost Marko Arnautovic, Andy Carroll and Lucas Perez, while Pedro Obiang is reportedly closing in on a move to Sassuolo in Serie A.

And yet the club have made no moves to bring in a central midfielder in this transfer window.

They now face starting the season with Mark Noble, the 32-year-old, Jack Wilshere and Carlos Sanchez, who made a combined 15 Premier League appearances last season due to injury, and Declan Rice.

The latter, of course, is the best option. He enjoyed a superb 2018/19 campaign and has become England’s first-choice defensive midfielder as a result.

Yet the Irons are clearly pinning their hopes on the 20-year-old replicating those displays last season.

As it is, there remains a risk that both Wilshere and Sanchez could pick up an injury at any time. And that would leave them with a kid – a gifted kid who has shown he has a high ceiling with excellent performances against the likes of Arsenal and Liverpool – and a man approaching the twilight of his career.

This is an oversight of epic proportions.

Now, many will claim that the Hammers’ hand was forced by Arnautovic’s departure and, in a way, it was. Who knows if the club will have paid an initial fee of £45m for Haller, per sources, if Arnautovic had not departed?

But sources confirmed to Football FanCast at the time of the club’s pursuit of Fornals that they would not be pursuing a defensive-minded midfield player.

That decision was made early on in the transfer window.

And that, again, is an error. Take a look at the clubs aiming to break into the top six next season – the likes of Everton and Leicester City.

The Toffees have signed Fabian Delph and Andre Gomes this summer, two players who are capable of playing in central midfield, and they join James McCarthy, Idrissa Gueye, Morgan Schneiderlin, Muhamed Besic and Tom Davies. That’s seven options. Leicester have bought Youri Tielemans and also boast Daniel Amartey, Matty James, Adrien Silva, Nampalys Mendy, Wilfred Ndidi, Andy King and Hamza Choudhury. That’s eight.

Watch West Ham United Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

West Ham will have four. That bears repeating. They will have four options in central midfield if a deal for Obiang to depart is completed.

Now, FFC sources have said that the Hammers really don’t have much money, but the way in which they have set up for this summer speaks to negligence.

Mario Husillos, the club’s Director of Football, has done two very difficult deals this summer for two foreign players that Manuel Pellegrini asked for.

But it feels remiss that he has not even suggested the possibility of buying a midfielder.

West Ham, as it is, are going to be forced to cross their fingers and pray that no player gets injured.

That does not feel like the way a Premier League club should be conducting their business, particularly not one with any particularly high ambitions.

The BCCI announced fixtures for India men’s home internationals on Wednesday

ESPNcricinfo staff02-Apr-2025Guwahati in Assam will become the 30th venue to host a Test match in India, when it hosts the second Test against South Africa from November 22 to 26.The BCCI released the schedule for the 2025-26 home international season on Wednesday, with home series against West Indies and South Africa being part of India’s World Test Championship fixtures.Related

• BCCI defends decision to hold India-SA Test in Delhi in November

• Do we need to remind the BCCI that a Test in Delhi in November is a bad idea?

• Mullanpur to host the final of Women's ODI World Cup 2025

The season begins with India hosting West Indies for two Tests, in Ahmedabad from October 2 to 6 and in Kolkata from October 10 to 14. The home series against South Africa begins a month later. The first Test in Delhi is from November 14 to 18 and the second in Guwahati.India and South Africa then play three ODIs in Ranchi (November 30), Raipur (December 3) and Visakhapatnam (December 6), followed by five T20Is in Cuttack (December 9), Mullanpur ( December 11), Dharamsala (December 14), Lucknow (December 17) and Ahmedabad (December 19).The ODIs are all day-night fixtures starting at 1.30 pm IST and the T20s are night matches starting at 7pm IST.Apart from these two men’s bilateral series, India are also hosting the Women’s ODI World Cup this home season.

West Ham United travel to Chelsea in the Premier League on Sunday afternoon and David Moyes will be well aware that failing to win will end the fading chances of qualifying for a fourth successive season in European competition.

The Hammers know that, in all likelihood, they won't be continuing their sparkling continental journey next season but there is no doubt that the playing squad boasts enough firepower to maintain a position of promise in the English top flight over the coming years, despite the lingering situation surrounding Moyes' future at the London Stadium.

Moyes, 61 years old, is out of contract in a matter of weeks and after winning the Conference League last season, he has dealt with the departure of Declan Rice to Arsenal to propel his side back into the top half of the league table.

Despite this, he can't seem to shake the negativity pervading from prominent supporter circles that have made their voluble opinions known that he should part ways with the side this summer, largely down to his perceived conservative style of football.

Still, West Ham are usually well drilled, disciplined and oiled to get the job done, and given that they have already won away to Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal in the Premier League this season, they will be confident Stamford Bridge can be added to the collection tomorrow.

West Ham team news

West Ham could welcome Konstantinos Mavropanos back to the matchday squad in west London after the Greek international's absence over the past three matches due to injury.

However, Sunday's game comes too soon for Nayef Aguerd, meaning veteran Angelo Ogbonna will partner captain Kurt Zouma in central defence once again if Mavropanos is not ready to play from the outset.

Chelsea might have impressed during their midweek victory over Spurs but the hosts are battling a catalogue of injury issues and Moyes might spy a chink in the armour to exploit, with the majority of his team fit and raring to go.

That doesn't mean he won't make a tweak or two though, with Chelsea's recent performance possibly giving the Scotsman food for thought when it comes to Vladimir Coufal, and whether he should start at Stamford Bridge.

Vladimir Coufal's season in numbers

Coufal has been an excellent addition to Moyes' West Ham side, joining from Czech outfit Slavia Prague in a £5m transfer in 2020 and amassing 152 appearances, supplying 20 assists for his teammates.

This season, as per Sofascore, the defender has started 33 Premier League matches and racked up seven assists, averaging 0.9 key passes, 1.8 tackles, 2.4 clearances and 3 out of 9 successful duels per game.

He might not be in the finest form right now but Coufal does have his strengths, ranking among the top 18% of full-backs across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for assists, the top 10% for clearances and the top 21% for aerial duels won per 90, as per FBref.

But the 31-year-old's certain lack of mobility will impede his and his side's chances of victory at a pivotal moment and Moyes must consider dropping him.

Why West Ham must bench Vladimir Coufal

Coufal was rag-dolled when Newcastle United defeated West Ham several weeks back, branded with a 4/10 match rating by The Evening Standard's Malik Ouzia, brutally exposed by the pace and power of Anthony Gordon.

What does that tell us? It tells us a lot. Coufal has been dribbled past five times across his past two matches in the Premier League, against Crystal Palace and Liverpool, shipping seven goals during this timeframe and losing possession 31 times – 15 times against the Eagles and 16 times against Liverpool.

Chelsea are an imperfect team but they are filled with talent and have a range of tools that can inflict damage onto the Hammers. They create chances and they stretch the opposition with their wide pace and swift overloads. Coufal will suffer.

Mykhaylo Mudryk has certainly had his detractors since joining Chelsea from Shakhtar Donetsk in a £88.5m transfer back in January 2023, but he has been in promising form recently and has started six of the past seven matches in the Premier League, showcasing his skills superbly last time out.

His athleticism and breakneck speed will cause Coufal so many problems, and so Ben Johnson – who is approaching the end of his West Ham career, out of contract this summer and rumoured to be heading to Crystal Palace on a free transfer – must start in his stead.

Johnson's starting roles have arrived intermittently this season, starting only four games in the Premier League, but the 24-year-old's pace and ground-covering style make him the perfect Irons player to attempt to deal with Mudryk, who has an immense natural talent but hasn't gelled it all together with constancy at Chelsea yet.

Next West Ham manager: Who could replace David Moyes?

Julen Lopetegui appears to have taken a step closer to becoming the new Hammers boss…

By
Stephan Georgiou

May 6, 2024

While Chelsea are looking to string together some impressive late-season form, West Ham have plenty of tools to cause an upset and Johnson must be unleashed to ensure that the best chance of victory is placed.

It's been a season to forget for Manchester United this year, yet with four Premier League games left to play, there is a real chance of qualifying for Europa League football.

Erik ten Hag's side currently find themselves in eighth place, six points off Tottenham Hotspur, but with a game in hand, which just so happens to be away to the inform Crystal Palace on Monday evening.

Now, with something still to play for, most people would have the Red Devils down as favourites ahead of this clash, but with United's obscene injury list and lack of fit centre-backs, this may not be the case this time.

So, with few other options, Ten Hag should be brave and hand a promising academy gem his first league start.

Manchester United's injury crisis

It's been a long and gruelling season for plenty of Premier League clubs this year, and it's been no different for United, who have seen their star players drop out with injuries at fairly regular intervals.

The club currently have 12 players reported to be injured by the Premier League, five of whom are centre-backs. Lisandro Martínez, Victor Lindelof, Raphael Varane, Willy Kambwala, and now Harry Maguire will all have to sit out this evening's game.

However, during his press conference on Thursday, Ten Hag confirmed that Johnny Evans had just returned to first-team training, meaning that he could feature against the Eagles.

Nonetheless, considering his lack of recent game time and the fact that starting him too soon could see him injure himself yet again, it might be better to keep him on the bench tonight.

Therefore, unless the Dutchman wants to start another player out of position alongside Casemiro at Selhurst Park, his best option is to hand a golden opportunity to one of the club's most exciting academy stars.

Why Ten Hag should start Louis Jackson

The youngster who should be given the chance to fill in for the recently injured Maguire is 18-year-old Louis Jackson.

The Oldham-born centre-back has been with the Red Devils for several years now and became the youngest player to start for the U23 side in 2022 when he made the jump at just 15 years old.

Despite being so young, the talented defender has already racked up an impressive number of appearances for the club's various youth sides and has even made it onto the first-team bench on three occasions this year, highlighting both his rapid development and the club's perilous injury situation at the back.

Now, there is certainly an argument that throwing the Scottish youth international in at the deep end tonight would be a bad idea for his development, but considering how well he has adapted to the various age groups at youth level and the lack of options Ten Hag has at his disposal, it might be time to throw caution to the wind.

Moreover, while Casemiro is not a natural centre-back, he is an extraordinarily experienced professional, and having him be the player Jackson makes his debut alongside can only do him good.

Lastly, while United are a club that should always expect to win, the circumstances around this game and the season as a whole mean that if they do end up coming away from Selhurst Park with no points in hand, fans are unlikely to go in too hard on the youngster, and as they always say, 'What doesn't kill you makes you stronger. '

Ratcliffe could solve Man Utd's Sancho problem with "magic" £60m phenom

The incredible talent could be the prefect player to replace the exiled Englishman.

By
Jack Salveson Holmes

May 3, 2024