Gabriel Jesus has joined Brazil national team for World Cup qualifiers despite carrying a hamstring injury.
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Bukayo Saka continues to nurse an injury at Arsenal, but the England international could still come into contention to face Burnley on Saturday.
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Sunderland continued their 100% record in the 2021/22 campaign with a 2-1 win over MK Dons in League One on Saturday.
Lee Johnson’s side have been in fine form to start the season and have now won all three of their competitive games this month. The Black Cats beat Wigan 2-1 in their first league outing before progressing through to the second round of the League Cup by beating Port Vale by the same scoreline.
Ross Stewart and Elliot Embleton scored the goals either side of half-time for Sunderland, with Troy Parrott scoring a consolation for Liam Manning’s team in the 56th minute.
Sunderland Echo reporter Phil Smith highlighted Stewart, in particular, for praise after the game. He scored a goal and won a penalty, with Smith saying that he was excellent at leading the line.
“Another simply excellent display. Led the line so well on a tougher afternoon where possession didn’t always flow. Got his goal, won a penalty.”
However, we believe that another player stole the show for Sunderland against MK Dons – Tom Flanagan.
The central defender was a brick wall at the back and was crucial to the Black Cats eventually coming away with the three points. After Parrott made the score 2-1 there was a flurry of attacks from the home side to draw level in the game, but Flanagan – along with the help of his teammates – was able to halt them.
On Flanagan, Smith wrote:
“Some good interceptions and headers, and was powerful alongside Wright late on.”
Powerful is an apt description of his performance from Smith. He won an impressive 87% of his duels in the game, winning 100% of his aerial battles and four of his five ground duels.
As per SofaScore, the £3.6k-per-week enforcer also made six clearances, made three tackles and one block throughout the game to keep MK Dons at bay as they continued to knock on the door.
Flanagan was not dribbled past on any occasion during the game and committed one foul. This suggests that the MK Dons forwards struggled to get by the 29-year-old defender, whether that be by forcing him to foul them or skipping by him to progress closer to Lee Burge’s goal.
Therefore, he was able to steal the show from the attackers as he allowed their goals to win Sunderland the game with his terrific defending.
Without his excellent interventions to prevent MK Dons from creating chances and scoring, Stewart and Embleton’s strikes would have been in vain.
Hopefully, he will be able to maintain his consistency and continue to deliver similar displays throughout the season. The Black Cats will need them if they are to finally earn that promotion back to the second-tier.
AND in other news, Alan Nixon drops claim on £13k-p/w SAFC “leader”, Lee Johnson will be relieved…
Everton manager Sean Dyche was left flabbergasted by the referee's decision to not send off Ibrahima Konate during his side's 2-0 loss to Liverpool.
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With the Premier League season set to get underway this month, Leeds United manager Marcelo Bielsa will no doubt be contemplating what his starting line-up will be for the first game of the campaign.
While Adam Forshaw may be a forgotten man at Elland Road given his recent injury history, he’s someone who the Whites manager should be finally looking to unleash.
Speaking towards the end of last season, Bielsa himself said of the 29-year-old: “He has basically been not playing for two seasons and to be able to play 90 minutes at a high competition after being healthy – there is still a while to go before you’re ready for that.
“He’s healthy, and has two months left of the season to prove that he is finally over his issues. We all hope it will be like this, because he is a very important player and he has made a massive effort to overcome the situation that he’s been through.”
The midfielder has endured a difficult spell at Leeds for well over a year now, with injuries seeing him miss the entire Premier League season – in fact, his only appearance of 2020/21 came at Premier League 2 level when he was given a runout against Aston Villa’s under-23s back in mid-April.
With Leeds lacking natural cover for Kalvin Phillips, and a new central midfielder still having yet to be signed, Forshaw’s comeback from injury is a timely one.
Given the long road that the £20k-a-week ace has travelled to getting to this point, Bielsa will be intent not to rush him back anytime soon.
Former Premier League striker Kevin Campbell recently said: “What I want him to do is get the first three months in without getting an injury, then he can hopefully start to play a few games and go from there.
“When you’re on that slippery slope of an injury it’s not good. The world seems like the sky is falling in. He could save them money but availability is everything. He’s a decent midfielder.”
Writing for The Athletic, Phil Hay backed Forshaw to enjoy a redemption season, saying: “Can his body hold up? Could he adapt quickly to the pace of the Premier League? The thing about Forshaw is that he is one of Bielsa’s favourite players at Leeds; someone who Bielsa has genuinely been heard to describe privately as having the right attributes for a Champions League side.”
Bielsa could save millions in the transfer market by giving Forshaw the chance to impress in midfield, and hopefully we will soon see the 29-year-old back in action at Elland Road.
Meanwhile, Leeds United have opened talks to sign this ace…
USWNT star Mia Fishel has made the best possible start to her time at Chelsea, with a brilliant header netted on her debut against Tottenham.
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James Pearce has cast doubt on the possibility of Liverpool signing Atletico Madrid’s Saul Niguez.
Pearce, the club’s correspondent for The Athletic, admitted he ‘can’t see’ the deal being struck without ‘a change of heart’ from the Reds.
Saul has apparently been offered to ‘a host of clubs’, but his ‘massive’ wage demands are proving to be prohibitive.
Liverpool have yet to sign a replacement for Georginio Wijnaldum, who left to join Paris Saint-Germain at the end of his contract.
Wijnaldum featured in all 38 Premier League matches last season, starting 34 of them. His overall tally of 2,947 minutes was eclipsed by only three outfield players – Andrew Robertson, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Mohamed Salah (via WhoScored).
26-year-old Spaniard Saul, meanwhile, helped Atletico beat Real Madrid and Barcelona to the title last season.
The £36million-valued midfielder has also won two Europa Leagues, one UEFA Super Cup and one Spanish cup during his time in the capital (via Transfermarkt).
Fan feed LFC Transfer Room relayed Pearce’s verdict, and here’s how supporters reacted.
“This is Thiago vibes all again, Idk why no one sees it”
Credit: @Dominion1017
“So you’re telling me there’s a chance”
Credit: @Gambino_LFC
“Feels like the Thiago deal all over again”
Credit: @DAMO101W
“Thiago 2.0 I stg”
Credit: @LFCRoninnn
“Means it’s on, Thiago deal was identical”
Credit: @LFCRyannnn
“Same situation with Thiago then”
Credit: @Footymadfan22
In other news, fans fumed at the latest update on a reported attacking target.
Players from eventual winners Spain, beaten finalists England and three other nations make it into GOAL's best XI from the last month Down Under
Spain were crowned champions of the world on Sunday to conclude what was a truly brilliant Women's World Cup in Australia and New Zealand. With giants like Brazil, Germany and Canada crashing out in the group stages, while underdogs such as Morocco, Jamaica and South Africa made the last 16, it was certainly one of the best tournaments this competition has given us.
There were some exceptional individual performances along the way, too, in all areas of the park, with so many different styles and systems on show Down Under making it all the more interesting.
But who are the 11 players that have made GOAL's World Cup Team of the Tournament?…
Brazil were stunned by an incisive Senegal in a friendly in Portugal, as the unfancied African side ran out 3-2 winners.
Brazil opened the scoring after just 11 minutes, as West Ham's Lucas Paqueta rose to head home Vinicius Jr's brilliant cross.
However, the South American giants saw their lead swiftly extinguished, with Habib Diallo scoring a superb volley after Joelinton had failed to clear his lines.
Marquinhos then handed Senegal a shock lead, as he inadvertently turned a cross into his own goal, and Sadio Mane added a third with a stunning strike from the corner of the box.
Marquinhos managed to get one in the right net, too, turning home from a corner to make it 3-2, but it wasn't enough. Mane added a fourth from the penalty spot late on after Ederson brought down Nicolas Jackson.
GOAL rates Brazil's players from Estadio Jose Alvalade in Portugal.
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Everything you need to know about the new Manchester United kits for 2023-24
Manchester United and adidas continue their partnership in 2023-24, with the Red Devils set to don a new look for the upcoming season. Having previously produced Man Utd gear throughout the 1980s into the early 1990s, the adidas logo returned to Old Trafford in 2015 and both parties will be eager to see success on the field.
The German sportswear giant has produced a variety of unique styles for the Stretford End faithful over the past eight seasons, with a number of retro throwbacks and fresh designs rolled out. While the iconic red home shirt has remained mostly familiar, adidas have experimented with a number of eye-catching away and third kits during the course of their partnership.
The Manchester United 2023-24 home kit was unveiled by adidas on June 27 following a sneak peek at Glastonbury by Manchester-born rapper Aitch.
adidas
The crowd erupted with excitement as they caught a glimpse of the striking red design, representing the iconic colors of the club. This surprise appearance by Aitch wearing the new jersey is heightening the anticipation among football fans for the latest release, along with celebrating the union of sports, art, and culture.
The all-new Manchester United 2023-24 away kit was then later unveiled by adidas on July 24, this jersey, in particular, nods back to the club's early years, reviving the iconic vertical stripes that were last seen two decades ago.
The Manchester United 2023-24 third kit followed with its release on August 8, unveiled in a promotional video featuring Roy Keane.
So, what new kits will Manchester United wear in 2023-24? GOAL takes a look at the jerseys that will be worn by Marcus Rashford, Bruno Fernandes and co., including rumours and leaks, plus how to buy them online.