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Manchester United won't just be trying to sign a host of players during the current transfer window, but also trying to move on some deadwood in order to free up the wage budget.

David de Gea and Phil Jones have already departed Old Trafford, leaving on the expiration of their contracts following 12 years in Manchester and Erik ten Hag will be keen on moving a few more players out the door.

Does Fred have a future at Manchester United?

The Brazilian has just one year left on his current deal at United and this summer could represent the final opportunity for Ten Hag to secure a decent fee for the midfielder.

Fellow Premier League side Fulham are interested in Fred and with the Dutchman looking at signing younger players, it could be the perfect time to offload the 30-year-old, who started just 23 games across all competitions last term.

With the Red Devils eyeing a move for Bayern Munich midfielder Leon Goretzka during the transfer window, it could Ten Hag the licence to move Fred on and get some sort of transfer fee for him before potentially losing him for free next year.

Could Manchester United sign Leon Goretzka?

According to Sky Germany reporter Florian Plettenberg, United are still “monitoring” the Bayern star ahead of a potential move, despite him making it clear that he doesn’t want to leave the Bundesliga side this summer.

This could perhaps make any future swoop tricky to pull off and with the German giants valuing Goretzka at just €40m (£35m), it may be an opportunity missed.

Nevertheless, Ten Hag could still look to persuade him to make the move to England, and he’d be an instant upgrade on Fred.

Not only did the 28-year-old create more big chances (seven to four) in the league last season than Fred, but he also took more shots per game (1.5 to 0.7), demonstrating his attacking attributes from the centre of midfield.

It isn’t only his attacking qualities which allowed him to shine for Bayern. The midfielder also offers an aerial presence, ranking in the top 9% across Europe’s big five leagues for aerials won per 90 (2.04), while also making 2.04 blocks per 90, good enough to rank him in the top 3% as he demonstrated his defensive abilities.

Fred did make more blocks per 90 (2.53), yet he clearly doesn’t have as much of a presence in air compared to Goretzka, winning just 0.76 aerials per 90 and this ability to generate more chances for his teammates, alongside a strong physical presence suggests the 28-year-old would be a much better option for Ten Hag next season.

His fellow compatriot, Manuel Neuer, hailed the former Schalke gem “cold as ice” and given the fact he has scored 65 goals throughout his whole career for club and country, it indicates that the midfielder fails to buckle under pressure.

Signing Goretzka would be a shrewd move for Ten Hag, especially given his performances over the previous 12 months and in order to seriously challenge Manchester City for the Premier League title, continuing to play the likes of Fred simply won’t work.

Krunal Pandya and Basil Thampi have been rewarded for their excellent form in the 2017 IPL with maiden call-ups to the India A one-day squad, which will tour South Africa

ESPNcricinfo staff29-Jun-20170:52

Quick Facts – Krunal Pandya

Allrounder Krunal Pandya and medium pacer Basil Thampi have earned maiden call-ups to the India A side, for the tour of South Africa starting next month. Both players have been included in the 16-man one-day squad.India A squads

For the tri-series: Manish Pandey (capt), Mandeep Singh, Shreyas Iyer, Sanju Samson, Deepak Hooda, Karun Nair, Krunal Pandya, Rishabh Pant (wk), Vijay Shankar, Axar Patel,Yuzvendra Chahal, Jayant Yadav, Basil Thampi, Mohammed Siraj, Shardul Thakur, Siddarth Kaul

For the four-day games: Karun Nair (capt), Priyank Panchal, Abhinav Mukund, Shreyas Iyer, Ankit Bawne, Sudip Chatterjee, Ishan Kishan (wk), Hanuma Vihari, Jayant Yadav, Shahbaz Nadeem, Navdeep Saini, Mohammed Siraj, Shardul Thakur, Aniket Choudhary, Ankit Rajpoot

Pandya and Thampi were in excellent form in the 2017 IPL in April-May. Thampi’s 11 wickets in his debut season were the second-highest for his team, Gujarat Lions, but it was more his ability to deliver yorkers that caught attention. Pandya established himself as an integral cog in the Mumbai Indians squad that lifted the IPL trophy for a third time, at one point being picked as the sole spinning option over Harbhajan Singh. He finished with 243 runs at 34.71 and struck them at 135.75 to go alongside 10 wickets and an economy rate of under seven.”The aim is not just to represent India for a couple of matches here and there but to play for as long as possible,” Krunal told . It would be a dream come true if I and Hardik [his brother who has already graduated to international cricket] can together play for India in the 2019 World Cup.”Hardik was ecstatic. He called me and said that ‘You are getting there’. Having already played for India, he has an insight about top-flight cricket and I always discuss with him to pick finer points. There can’t be a closer buddy than your own brother.”The squad will be captained by Manish Pandey, who has recovered from the side strain he suffered during the IPL, which kept him out of the Champions Trophy earlier this month.The 15-man squad for the four-day games has batsmen Hanuma Vihari and Sudip Chatterjee, and seamers Ankit Rajpoot and Mohammed Siraj, all of whom have never played first-class cricket for India A. Vihari had a fruitful 2016-17 Ranji Trophy season with Andhra, amassing 688 runs at 57.33, including a double-century. Siraj was Hyderabad’s highest wicket-taker in their run to the quarter-final with 41 scalps, while Rajpoot and Chatterjee also enjoyed good returns. Aniket Choudhary, the left-arm pacer from Rajasthan, who took four wickets in a tour game between India A and the visiting Bangladesh team last year, was also included. Karun Nair will lead the first-class team.The tour kicks off on July 26 with a triangular one-day series, also involving Australia A. India and South Africa will then play two four-day games in August, in Benoni and Potchefstroom.

Celtic will look to 'reinvest' the fee they have received for departed winger Jota and could use it to secure several summer arrivals, according to journalist Dean Jones.

What's the latest transfer news involving Celtic and Rodgers?

As per Sky Sports, Jota has completed his transfer from Celtic to Saudi Pro League side Al-Ittihad in a deal worth in the region of £25 million, where he will now work under fellow countryman Nuno Espirito Santo.

Benfica retain a 30% release clause for Jota that was inserted into his initial agreement when he joined the Hoops permanently last year, which will net them a total of around £7.5 million.

Football Scotland detail that the Portuguese winger stands to make £200k-a-week in the Middle East while will also team up with the likes of football icon Karim Benzema and N'Golo Kante.

In his time at Parkhead, Jota was a key player for Celtic and racked up some impressive numbers, registering 28 goals and 26 assists in 83 appearances, as per Transfermarkt.

The 24-year-old won five trophies in his Celtic spell in the form of two Scottish Premiership titles, two Scottish League Cups and one Scottish Cup.

Speaking to Football FanCast, journalist Jones has backed Celtic to reinvest the money gained from the Jota sale and reckons that it could be spread across several additions.

Jones told FFC: "It's obviously a blow to lose him, he was one of the best players they had. They will be reinvesting a significant amount of money that they earned from the deal. I'd be interested to see if it all goes on one player, though I don't think it will. I think that they might spread the cost of that a little bit to make sure that the squad is fully ready to defend what they achieved last season. We'll have to wait to see exactly how many signings they make, but they certainly need to sort of reinvest that money."

Have Celtic identified a Jota replacement?

Brendan Rodgers has already entered the market to sign two players this summer in Odin Thiago Holm and Marco Tilio, with the latter being a winger, which could signal that Celtic have already made strides to replace Jota at Parkhead.

Nevertheless, there will be clamour for a direct like-for-like replacement to succeed Jota; however, it is unclear yet what path Celtic will go down as they eye reinforcements on the flank.

Sky Sports reporter Anthony Joseph has issued an update regarding the Hoops' interest in Gangwon ace Hyun-jun Yang, who is another winger in the frame to join the Scottish champions, stating on Twitter: "Celtic are stepping up their efforts to sign Gangwon FC winger Hyun-jun Yang. The Hoops made an approach for the 21yo last month, but the K League side are reluctant to sell during their season. It’s understood Yang has now told club chiefs that he wants to move to Celtic."

Returning to the scene of his former glories, Celtic boss Rodgers is believed to have a budget of around £30 million to strengthen his side for both Scottish and European endeavours, according to The Scottish Sun, indicating that the 50-year-old will have plenty of money to play with between now and the close of play in the window.

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.

Arsenal are in pole position to sign Fenerbache attacker Arda Guler over Newcastle and are "seriously looking into a deal", according to journalist Pete O'Rourke.

Who else could Arsenal sign this summer?

The Gunners, as widely reported, have already agreed a deal to sign West Ham United star Declan Rice after seeing their third bid of £105 million (£100m + £5m in add-ons) accepted.

Rice looks set to become the most expensive British signing ever, two years after Man City previously broke the record for Jack Grealish, but both West Ham and Arsenal are still discussing payment structure as of now (Sky).

Mikel Arteta's side are also attempting to reach an agreement for Ajax defender Jurrien Timber, who is apparently "waiting" to join the club and a deal is "expected to advance" after Rice (Fabrizio Romano).

Arsenal haven't yet ruled out making more midfield signings, either, with links still surrounding Southampton starlet Romeo Lavia and some other reports suggesting they could make a move for Real Madrid's Aurelien Tchouameni.

Guler, who is attracting serious interest from a plethora of clubs across Europe, is also said to be on Edu's radar with Newcastle United, Manchester United, PSG, Borussia Dortmund, Milan, Sevilla, Barcelona and even Real Madrid eyeing a move.

Reports out of Spain earlier this week detailed that Arsenal are willing to pay the player's release clause of €17.5million (£15m) with O'Rourke sharing an update of his own in a column for Football Insider.

The north Londoners, according to his information, are in pole position over Newcastle to sign Guler this summer and are "seriously looking into a deal" for the starlet.

However, if Arteta and co wish to benefit from his cheap exit clause, they'll need to act fast, as Fenerbache are attempting to hand Guler a new deal to remove it.

Who is Arda Guler?

The attacking midfielder was one of Fenerbache's standout players during the last Turkish Super Lig campaign – even making more key passes per 90 in the final third than anybody in their squad (WhoScored).

He was also rated as their second-best performing player per match, according to WhoScored, with Guler also managing to rack up four goals and three assists in 20 league appearances.

Former AC Milan and Juventus star Andrea Pirlo is a big fan of the 18-year-old, calling him a "quality" player with sky high potential.

"Arda Guler is a very talented player,” Pirlo said.

“He has the potential to play anywhere in the world. He has quality, he can read the game well, and he has great technique. If he keeps developing his game, there is no limit to his potential.”

It was a somewhat incongruous sight on day one in Brisbane: a West Indies legend attending a Test between Australia and Pakistan. Had Sir Garry Sobers, currently on a speaking tour in Australia, stayed at the Gabba a few days more, he would have witnessed Asad Shafiq break a 43-year-old record set by Sobers himself.As Asad steered the tail and led Pakistan’s fightback in a marathon final session on day four, he also passed Sobers’ tally of eight centuries from No. 6.The technically proficient Shafiq, who had never batted at six before making his Test debut, has made the most of his position down the order, becoming something of a specialist at guiding the bowlers through difficult periods at the crease.”He always batted brilliantly with the tail,” his team-mate Azhar Ali said after play. “He always loved to bat up the order, but he performed for us at number six. Especially scoring [nine] centuries at number six is not easy.”Our lower order didn’t really have very good averages, but he bats with them very well and he scored [nine] hundreds, it’s a very special achievement. He has scored a lot of runs also, he’s averaging 40-plus, which is a very good achievement.”It seemed as though the chance to break Sobers’ record had passed Shafiq by when he was promoted up the order for Pakistan’s fourth Test against England in August and scored a century from No. 4. But the emergence of Babar Azam, combined with his own form tapering off, meant Shafiq moved back to his original Test batting position.”He’s a special player. I’ve always rated him as a very fine player, because batting at No. 6 is never easy,” Azhar said. “But as a team plan, he started batting [up the order], but again the team manager thinks that this is our best combination. As team players we always are willing to play wherever our team needs. He’s a brilliant player who can bat at any number. Hopefully he gets his number soon.”He bats at number six really well. He could be probably better than any of us [there]. That’s probably the reason he got back at number six. Sometimes you have to make decisions according to the situation, according to the team plan. That’s why I went to open the batting, because of the requirement of the team. It’s a team game, so we’re all happy with what the team demands of us.”Pakistan’s chase so far – described by the Australia bowling coach, David Saker, as “heroic” – could hardly have been foreseen by the most optimistic of their supporters, given how fragile they appeared in the first innings. Azhar said Mickey Arthur and Misbah-ul-Haq had instilled confidence in their players, telling them to take the fight to the Australians.”Before we started today, the discussion was to back ourselves, and back our ability to score runs in these conditions,” Azhar said. “First innings, it didn’t go to plan and you can easily doubt your techniques and ability to score runs in these conditions.”But the message from the captain and the coach was to back yourself. I think everyone batted with a lot of determination and a lot of skills. As a unit, we’re really happy how this day has gone.”It’s never easy to chase that big a total, but we certainly made a very good effort, especially the way Younis Khan batted – he came back into form, which is very important; he’s a senior player and is always there to perform for us.”Asad was struggling for runs and he came back with a bang and in the dressing room we really enjoyed his innings and the way he batted. It was a really special knock. Also special contributions from Mohammad Amir and Wahab Riaz, the way they showed the determination. It will really help us get more confidence going through the series.”Pakistan came tantalisingly close to finishing the extended session with three wickets still in hand, but Jackson Bird claimed the wicket of Wahab Riaz in the final over of the day. Pakistan went to stumps needing 108 runs more.”Obviously the wicket in the last over really hurt,” Azhar said. “It still would have been a big task, but it looks a bit bigger now because we have only two wickets. But still Asad is there, so we have hopes that if he carries on – and Yasir Shah and Rahat [Ali] can bat with him as long as they can – we can actually get closer at least.”

The Lodha Committee has permitted the BCCI to pay players and officials in domestic tournaments directly and under existing terms, board secretary Ajay Shirke said

ESPNcricinfo staff15-Nov-2016The Lodha Committee has told the BCCI that payments to players and officials for all board-organised tournaments, like the Ranji Trophy, can be made directly under existing terms, the board secretary Ajay Shirke said.The Committee’s permission came after the BCCI sought direction on the release of funds for the Rajasthan Ranji Trophy team and the state’s various age-group teams.According to the , Shirke had written to the Committee last week stating that the association was cash-strapped and would not be able to play their next round of matches in the respective tournaments without funds. The Rajasthan team is currently playing a Ranji Trophy match against Karnataka in Vizianagram.”The Hon’ble Justice Lodha Committee has communicated today to the CEO of the BCCI (Rahul Johri) that payments to players and officials can be made directly to them as per the agreed existing terms. This is for all BCCI-organised tournaments,” Shirke told the . “We didn’t have problems for all state associations. They pay themselves (to their players). Because the Rajasthan Cricket Association (RCA) is suspended, the problem was only for them.”The BCCI sought clarification from the Lodha Committee following an order from the Supreme Court of India on October 21, in which the board was directed not to distribute funds to its state associations until they submit affidavits stating compliance with the recommendations of the court and the Lodha Committee within two weeks. The Rajasthan Cricket Association’s suspended status was also a factor.The BCCI had suspended the RCA in May 2014 after the latter elected Lalit Modi, an expelled administrator, as its president. The board then omitted the RCA from the 2014-15 domestic programme.Rajasthan eventually got to play – though not under the RCA banner – after the Rajasthan High Court heard a writ petition signed by 75 players, and directed the Rajasthan Sports Council, the RCA and the BCCI to work in tandem and appoint selection committees to select teams for the board’s senior, junior and women’s tournaments. Before the 2015-16 season the board appointed an ad-hoc committee to run cricket in Rajasthan.Rajasthan have two more Group B matches to play before the end of the Ranji Trophy’s league stage. They are scheduled to play Delhi in Wayanad from November 21 and Vidarbha in Mumbai from December 7.

Well, well, well, it looks as though footballing legend Lionel Messi has chosen his next destination and he’ll be heading to MLS to play for David Beckham’s franchise team Inter Miami.

Where will Messi play next season?

The Paris Saint-Germain attacker departed the club earlier this month having just helped his side win Ligue 1. He scored 32 goals and provided 35 assists in 75 games during a two-year spell in France.

In an official statement, he expressed his gratitude saying: “I would like to thank the club, the city of Paris and its people for these two years. I wish you all the best for the future.”

Understandably, there has been much speculation about where exactly he could be playing next season with a return to Barcelona rumoured, while a touted move to Saudi Arabia was also touted.

However, trusted Spanish journalist Guillem Balague has now claimed the 35-year-old will be playing in America next term.

On Twitter, he wrote: “Messi has decided. His destination: Inter Miami.”

What has been the reaction to Messi leaving PSG?

It will be interesting to see how Messi gets on playing outside of Europe at club level for the first time as a senior footballer – having come through the famous La Masia academy in Barcelona.

PSG teammate Neymar certainly seemed sad to see his South American compatriot leaving. Indeed, he wrote on Instagram:

“Brother… it didn’t turn out as we thought but we tried everything. It was a pleasure to share two more years with you.

“Good luck in your new stage and be happy. I love you.”

Others seemed less sad to see the 35-year-old leaving France. For instance, Sergio Aguero’s son, Benjamin, trolled the Ligue 1 side when they announced the departure, saying: “He was too big for you.”

Inter Miami are of course Beckham’s MLS franchise team, so it’s not hard to see why that sort of glamourous foreign club may have appealed to Messi.

However, they aren’t exactly performing so well recently and actually just opted to sack head coach Phill Neville amid a run of just two wins in their last 13 games.

It remains unclear who will be the club’s next permanent manager. Whoever it is, though, it seems they’ll be fortunate enough to coach arguably the greatest-ever footballer.

After playing awkwardly with the pink ball on day one, India Red, emboldened by centuries from Abhinav Mukund and Sudip Chatterjee, made purposeful strides in their second dig, and extended a 10-run first-innings lead to 354 runs by close of play

Arun Venugopal24-Aug-2016
ScorecardAbhinav Mukund followed up a fifty on the opening day with an unbeaten 162 in India Red’s second innings•PTI After playing awkwardly with the pink ball on day one, India Red, emboldened by centuries from Abhinav Mukund and Sudip Chatterjee, made purposeful strides in their second dig, and extended a 10-run first-innings lead to 354 runs by close of play. Thanks to Nathu Singh’s six-for, India Red needed only a little more than 10 overs to bowl out India Green in the afternoon, before going to stumps on 344 for 3. The centerpiece of their second innings was the 240-run alliance between Abhinav and Chatterjee.Abhinav Mukund on…

His innings: It’s been a long time since I scored such a big hundred, so I put my mind to it. I haven’t batted under lights so I was a bit more focused and I wanted to concentrate – I had worked a lot on my fitness – and I wanted to prove that. I have been on the field through both the days so definitely towards the end I was tiring a bit, but I wanted to push [myself] mentally and carry on.
Batting with Sudip Chatterjee: I have played with him for Vijay CC, so we have batted together before. We knew things would get easier if we gritted it out initially. I just told him to hang on because it takes a bit of time to get set with the new ball.
Behaviour of the pink ball: I think the ball came on to the bat much better in the evening session. There was a little bit of seam movement initially with the new ball, and it’s starting to turn a little bit. It is also skidding on a little bit so it is slightly harder to play the spinners. Shreyas Gopal was giving it a good rip. I think it (the pitch) is dry underneath, that is why it’s turning.

With Abhinav still at the crease, unbeaten on 162, and with recognised batsmen to follow, India Green’s bowlers and fielders might have to work overtime. In any event, the side’s misery was to a certain extent self-inflicted with some slipshod fielding – they dropped four catches – and profligate bowling.The narrative on day two was nothing like the first day: 379 runs were scored for the loss of six wickets, as opposed to 277 for 17 on Tuesday; bowlers 1- batsmen 1. Two factors, though, remained constant. First, the pink ball itself has not had a disproportionately heavy bearing on either outcome. The second factor was Abhinav.His effort was remarkable as much for its longevity – he batted for more than five hours – as its unhurried rhythm. There was no dulling of tempo, however, as his strike-rate constantly remained upwards of 75. While Abhinav might want to offer a quiet ‘thank you’ to India Green captain Suresh Raina, who dropped him on 66 and 92, the reprieves seemed little more than an incentive for his positive, risk-free approach.If Abhinav’s 22nd first-class hundred was the well-rehearsed jig of an accomplished dancer, Chatterjee’s was a laboured effort enhanced by improvisations. After having made only 5 in the first innings, Chatterjee took 18 balls to score his first run, but the longer he stayed the more irritated India Green’s bowlers became. By the time he scored his sixth first-class hundred, Chatterjee’s strike-rate had crossed 60. Chatterjee’s first false stroke in a long period – an ill-timed sweep – eventually saw him trapped lbw to Shreyas Gopal, but Abhinav, and later Gurkeerat Singh, ensured the show went on.India Red entered the afternoon needing three wickets to bowl out their opponents, and despite Saurabh Tiwary’s fifty and a rain interruption, Nathu made light work of the tail. When the second session began, it was, at least in parts, a re-run of the first afternoon’s play: Abhinav alternated between leaving and driving the ball with equal assurance, Ashok Dinda leap-charged his way to banging the ball on the shorter side of full length, and Sandeep Sharma did the un-Dinda thing by pitching the ball up to bring swing into play. The most conspicuous change from the first innings was the approach of the India Red batsmen. Sample this: Dinda went for Srikar Bharat’s throat, like on Tuesday, and Bharat responded with a pull – this time he was on top of the ball rather than the other way around – in front of square for six.Pink ball or not, Abhinav was not going to deviate from a formula fare. He left anything on a length around the off stump, especially with the new ball, while driving, punching and upper-cutting – his release shot in the first innings – errant deliveries. He made matters worse by pinching sharp singles to further throw India Green off gear. The most abiding visual of Chatterjee’s innings was his well stretched-out forward defence, but sneakily he worked his way towards a bigger score. As he grew in confidence, the cuts and the drives became a more regular occurrence.India Green’s fielding, particularly that of Ankit Rajpoot, was a throwback to the Indian fast bowler of the 1990s. While he offered a cheeky boot to halt cover drives, he was let balls slip through, or reacted late to a catch – one such somnolent attempt let Chatterjee off the hook when he was on 74.Raina himself appeared lost, and was intermittently off the field, leaving Parthiv Patel in charge. The wickets of Chatterjee and Yuvraj Singh late in the day offered India Green a sudden shot of enthusiasm, which they will need to build on over the next two days.

Arsenal have enjoyed a season as one of the Premier League’s best, sitting at the top of the pile for the majority of the campaign.

April’s disappointing form saw the Gunners get chased down by Manchester City but hope does still remain in north London that Mikel Arteta’s side can still win their first league title since 2004.

With just three games remaining, Arsenal have reached new heights this season, guaranteeing Champions League football for the 2023/24 campaign and a top-two finish for the first time since 2016.

What’s most impressive about Arteta's side, is that they are the joint-youngest squad in the top flight, level with Southampton with an average age of just 24.4.

The club’s three highest goalscorers are under 25, with 24-year-old captain Martin Odegaard netting 15 goals this season, level with 21-year-old Gabriel Martinelli, and in third is Hale End graduate Bukayo Saka with 14 goals.

To see young players flourishing is one thing, but to see them lead and maintain the success of a team at the summit of the Premier League is an incentive for those in the club’s academy, as a glimpse of the opportunities that could open for them in the future.

Several academy names have featured in first-team training this season, the most recent addition being Portuguese midfielder Mauro Bandeira.

Who is Mauro Bandeira?

Since joining Arsenal’s academy at the age of 13, Bandeira has worked his way through the system and currently plays for the U21s in the Premier League 2’s division one.

The 19-year-old prodigy has scored three goals in the league this season, making 20 appearances.

The Loures-born player is versatile in his positioning and has featured four times this campaign at right-back when called upon.

Once described as a “lively” presence in the engine room by journalist Layth Yousif, the young midfielder signed his first professional deal last summer and took the number 41 in the senior team.

Most recently, the teenage talent made the trip to St James’ Park with the Arsenal first-team squad, showing how he is valued at the club by Arteta.

With talk surrounding Granit Xhaka’s potential departure in the summer getting louder as the season draws to a close, the Swiss international could leave a vacancy to be filled in the heart of the pitch.

The Gunners aren’t afraid to place talented young stars above big names, and Bandeira could be one for the future as he embodies the skill set imposed on the current squad by the 30-year-old.

In the Football League Trophy this season, Bandeira has averaged a Sofascore match rating of 6.83, as well as winning over half of his duels per game (56%) whilst maintaining a passing accuracy of 81% – showing his ability to function in both areas of the engine room.

While speculation grows around Arsenal’s desire to sign a defensively-minded midfielder in the transfer window, the club may have the chance to explore the academy next season, especially with even more fixtures inbound with European involvement.

Only time will tell if the young Hale End gem will follow in the footsteps of those before him, however, Arsenal is the club to be at for young players under Arteta’s management.