All posts by h716a5.icu

Even though this season is still ongoing, there’s only one question on Rangers supporters’ minds: who will be the next manager in the Ibrox dugout?

Barry Ferguson is still yet to oversee a home win for Rangers in five attempts during his interim spell, following Sunday’s 1-1 draw in the derby, hoping to change that at Ibrox this weekend.

So, as much as he might want it, it’s very unlikely that he is going to get the job full-time and, while there appear to be two clear front-runners to be appointed right now, should Rangers turn their attention to a “world-class manager”?

Rangers new manager latest

At the time of writing, there are two clear favourites to be appointed as the next Rangers manager.

One is Steven Gerrard, with Pete O’Rourke of Football Insider reporting that he is ‘now the leading candidate’ to be re-hired, just under four years after leaving the club for Aston Villa.

Gerrard has been out of work since January, when he was sacked by Al-Ettifaq after, as John Duerden of the Guardian puts it, a generally ‘underwhelming’ spell in charge of the Saudi Pro League club.

Thus, a report by TEAMTalk claims that Gerrard ‘would be very open’ to the possibility of a return to the Ibrox dugout.

The other manager seemingly in the fray is Marco Rose, with Mark Pirie of the Daily Record stating that the German is ‘being considered’ by Andrew Cavenagh, Paraag Marathe and the rest of 49ers Enterprises, ahead of their proposed takeover.

The 48-year-old is also currently out of work, having been sacked by RB Leipzig in March; he’s previously been in charge of RB Salzburg, Borussia Mönchengladbach and Borussia Dortmund.

Both would be intriguing appointments in very different ways, but should the 49ers actually attempt to appoint a manager with vastly more experience?

Rangers could land a world-class manager

A report by Mark Pirie of the Daily Record back in March claimed that Rafa Benítez is a candidate to become the new Rangers manager, stating that the Spaniard is ‘aware’ of speculation linking him to the vacancy.

Few active managers on the planet can boast quite as impressive a CV as Benítez, as outlined in the table below.

Real Valladolid

1995-96

25

Osasuna

1996

9

Extremadura

1997-99

92

Segunda promotion

Tenerife

2000-01

46

Segunda promotion

Valencia

2001-04

162

La Liga X2

UEFA Cup

Liverpool

2004-12

350

Champions League

FA Cup

UEFA Super Cup

Internazionale

2010

25

FIFA Club World Cup

Supercoppa Italiana

Chelsea

2012-13

48

Europa League

Napoli

2013-15

112

Coppa Italia

Supercoppa Italiana

Real Madrid

2015-16

25

Newcastle United

2016-19

146

EFL Championship

Dalian Professional

2019-21

38

Everton

2021-22

22

Celta de Vigo

2023-24

33

Benítez’s credentials are there for all to see, having won the Champions League, two La Liga titles and the Europa League twice, as well as various other trophies, managing some of the world’s biggest clubs, including Liverpool, Real Madrid, Inter and Chelsea.

His successor at Newcastle United, Steve Bruce, said that Benítez is unquestionably a “world-class manager”, even if his last two jobs, in charge of Everton and Celta Vigo, have both gone pretty disastrously.

He was never likely to succeed at Goodison was he, becoming only the second man, after William Edward Barclay in 1892, to manage both Merseyside giants.

Nevertheless, Dietmar Hamann, who played for Benítez at Liverpool, alongside Gerrard of course, described his former boss as a “genius” and a “fantastic manager”, adding that Rangers “could do a lot worse” in their search for a new head coach.

So, if the 49ers are looking for a manager who has vast experience when it comes to both British and European football, could the 65-year-old be the man tasked with overseeing the Rangers rebuild, pipping his former captain – and Rose – to the post?

Rangers: "Outstanding" 4-4-2 manager explodes into race to replace Ferguson

A high-profile European coach is now among the main contenders to become the new manager of the Gers.

ByDominic Lund May 1, 2025

Manchester United just about managed to salvage a share of the points away at AFC Bournemouth on Sunday as Rasmus Hojlund broke free of his wretched luck in front of goal in the Premier League to rescue a 1-1 draw.

The Cherries were hanging onto their 1-0 slim lead after Evanilson saw red on the 70th minute mark and must have thought United’s wastefulness in attack was going to be their saving grace, only for the usually misfiring Dane to level the game right at the death.

Whilst the 22-year-old was the unlikely hero come the full-time whistle, a draw might still be deemed as an unsatisfactory result based on the away side’s lack of composure up top ,robbing them of a much-needed victory.

Man United's wasteful attackers vs Bournemouth

In total, Ruben Amorim’s men would notch up a hefty 25 shots on the Cherries’ goal, with Hojlund’s effort amazingly the only one that ended up beating the consistently switched-on Kepa Arrizabalaga.

Away from accumulating a stunning seven key passes to try and set up his teammates for opportunities, Bruno Fernandes will feel irked that he didn’t manage to beat Kepa like his Danish teammate, with three efforts unfortunately passing him by on the South Coast.

Likewise, Hojlund will feel somewhat annoyed that he couldn’t pick up a whole host of strikes, with the goal-shy number 9 failing to get involved in the contest for large portions of the 90 minutes, leading to his only effort on the day being the golden one that trickled in.

But, there was a far worse culprit than both of these attackers when it came to squandering chances against Andoni Iraola’s open hosts, with Amorim now clamouring for Wolverhampton Wanderers superstar Matheus Cunha’s signature even more so off the back of this underperformer lacking a clinical edge.

5/10 Man Utd could soon be replaced by Cunha

Whilst United’s wastefulness reared its ugly head once more during the 1-1 draw, Cunha showed off his spellbinding ability in attack again for Wolves at the weekend, with the ex-Atletico Madrid ace picking up a goal and two assists in his side’s convincing 3-0 takedown of Leicester City.

With it reported that the Brazilian could be on his way to Old Trafford, Fernandes would likely not be sacrificed for Cunha to take up a first-team spot.

As a result, his comrade in the attacking positions in Alejandro Garnacho could be the casualty, with his showing against Bournemouth leaving a lot to be desired.

As is outlined above, Garnacho is now up to a dire 14 big chances missed this season, with his game in the forward areas against Iraola’s men screaming of an attacker low on confidence when the heat is ramped up.

The South American forward ended the game having been handed a low 5/10 rating post-match by Manchester Evening News journalist Samuel Luckhurst and it was unsurprising to see why.

He fired a mammoth eight shots at the Cherries net without ever beating Kepa, meaning his goal count for the season in the Premier League is stuck at a paltry five. Furthermore, he won just four of his seven duels and gave away the ball 13 times, once every 3.7 touches.

Games played

33

29

Goals scored

5

15

Assists

1

6

Expected goals (xG)

7.02 xG

7.86 xG

Goalscoring frequency

411 mins

156 mins

Big chances missed

14

2

Big chances created

3

12

Whereas, moving back to Molineux, Cunha finds himself on a mightily impressive 21 goal contributions for the campaign from 29 clashes, with Amorim well aware that the Brazilian’s arrival onto the scene would see Garnacho instantly drop out of the XI.

It remains to be seen whether United can win their desired man away from rampant speculation, but if they are successful in their pursuit, he could be one piece of the jigsaw that enables Amorim’s Red Devils to recapture their former glories.

He'd be incredible with Cunha: Man Utd are in talks to sign a "monster" CM

Manchester United could land a star who would be perfect for Matheu Cunha this summer.

ByEthan Lamb Apr 25, 2025

Crystal Palace have been “watching” a centre-back, who has been a key part of an “incredible” defence this season, according to former scout Mick Brown.

Palace stepping up centre-back pursuit

It will be a tall order for Palace to replace captain Marc Guehi this summer, but it is looking increasingly likely Oliver Glasner will have to bring in a new centre-back, given that the 24-year-old has not agreed terms on a contract extension.

As such, the Eagles have now stepped up their pursuit of a new centre-back ahead of the summer transfer window, and they could make a statement signing by bringing in Paris Saint-Germain defender Milan Skriniar, having now joined the race for the Slovakian.

Skriniar is one of the more well-known targets, but there could be an addition out of left-field, with Glasner’s side also making contact over a deal for Independiente De Avellaneda’s Kevin Lomonaco, who may be available for just £5m this summer.

Crystal Palace eyeing move to sign new £30m+ "Roy Keane-esque" midfielder

The Eagles are set to battle it out for a midfielder, who has been compared to Manchester United legend Roy Keane.

ByDominic Lund Apr 16, 2025

According to former scout Brown, in an interview with Football Insider, Crystal Palace are also in the race for Burnley defender Maxime Esteve, having sent officials to watch him in action this season.

Brown said: “Everton and Crystal Palace have been watching him, among other teams, and have had scouts at Turf Moor to keep an eye on his performance.

“Burnley want to keep him, especially if they get promoted to the Premier League, but a really good offer for him could get that over the line.”

Esteve was also singled out for praise, given the Clarets’ exceptional defensive record this season, with Brown adding: “This season, he’s really pushed on and he’s been an integral part of an outstanding Burnley defence.

“They’ve conceded just 13 goals in 42 league games this year, it’s incredible.”

"Phenomenon" Esteve ready for Premier League

Burnley’s defensive record in the Championship this season has been nothing short of remarkable, having conceded just 14 goals, and the 22-year-old has played an absolutely crucial role, making 43 appearances.

The Burnley star is particularly impressive in possession of the ball, ranking in the 91st percentile for passes attempted per 90 over the past year, and 89th for his pass completion rate, having previously received high praise for his ball skills from football talent scout Jacek Kulig.

Esteve appears to have the hallmarks of a quality modern-day centre-back, and his performances for Burnley this season indicate he is definitely ready for a Premier League move, but Crystal Palace may have to shell out around £30m for his services.

Despite Chelsea’s dip in form during the second half of the season, Enzo Maresca has clearly improved the defensive level of his side, implementing a more control-based system with a man-to-man pressing approach.

The Blues were involved in plenty of high-scoring games last campaign, including a 4-4 draw against Manchester City, a 4-3 win against Manchester United and five 2-2 draws.

Whilst they were scoring lots of goals, it was also coming back the other way, giving them their worst defensive record in the last ten years.

Goals Conceded

1.58

1.22

xG Against

1.53

1.33

Shots Against

14.6

10.8

Shots on Target Against

4.79

4.19

Average Shot Distance Against

16.9 (yards)

17.5 (yards)

Under Maresca, these defensive metrics have begun to improve, conceding fewer goals per 90, conceding fewer shots against per 90 and forcing opposition teams into longer-distance shots.

However, we can still expect defensive reinforcement in the summer, as the Blues will likely want to take another step to further improving their defensive record next season.

Chelsea's centre-back conundrum

After Wesley Fofana has continued to struggle with injuries in the 2024/25 campaign, Chelsea are now looking to add a central defender in the summer transfer window, with one of the names highly linked being Bournemouth defender Dean Huijsen.

Huijsen only signed for Bournemouth in the 2024/25 summer transfer window, joining from Juventus for a fee of around £12m.

That said, his excellent performances at just 20-years-old is already attracting interest from Europe’s elite, with the Spaniard’s £50m release clause now likely to be activated after just one season in England. The Blues are one of the interested parties with it reported that they and Arne Slot’s Liverpool are at the front of the queue for his signature.

The 20-year-old has made 30 appearances for the Cherries this season, scoring two goals, providing one assist, contributing to seven clean sheets and totalling 2,350 minutes played.

But, as talented as Huijsen is, could Chelsea already have their own young talented defender in the pipeline?

Chelsea's homegrown Huijsen

A certain Josh Acheampong has fully broken into the senior set-up at Chelsea this season, having made his debut under Mauricio Pochettino last term, coming from the bench against Tottenham.

The 18-year-old has made nine senior appearances throughout 2024/25 in what has been a real breakthrough year, contributing to five clean sheets in 511 minutes played.

One of his best traits is the ability to drive the ball out from the back, striding forwards and kick-starting attacks through progressive carries.

Especially against man-to-man pressing schemes (which are becoming far more common in the Premier League), this attribute can become a real game-changer.

In The Pipeline

Football FanCast’s In the Pipeline series aims to uncover the very best youth players in world football.

Acheampong has already been labelled as a “dominant” defender by scout Jacek Kulig, who referred to the 18-year-old as the “definition of a modern defender”.

The England U19 star is versatile, able play as both a right-back and centre-back, even recently showing his ability to step into midfield, having the composure and elegance beyond his years.

Having been integrated slowly this season under Maresca, who has already stated Acheampong is “the one he fell in love with” after his performance against Legia Warsaw in the UEFA Conference League, next year could be a big season for the young defender, becoming more than just a bit-part piece for the Italian head coach.

A better signing than Huijsen: Chelsea preparing bid for £50m defender

Chelsea are reportedly interested in a deal to sign the Premier League defender this summer.

ByDan Emery Apr 14, 2025

Leeds United and the 49ers now want to sign a “technical” attacking player who will cost them nothing this summer, and he’s apparently open to joining both Leeds and rival suitors Wolves.

Leeds putting plans in place for busy summer

The Whites’ automatic promotion hopes suffered another blow over the weekend as they were held to a 1-1 draw by Luton Town. Leeds now have six games to go to secure a top-two finish ahead of Burnley or Sheffield United. But despite the uncertainty, Leeds are still putting plans in place for the summer, with the hope being they are a Premier League team.

Leeds want "brilliant" £60k-p/w star who has same agent as Rodon and Bogle

Leeds are eyeing statement signings should they claim promotion.

BySean Markus Clifford Apr 6, 2025

At the end of last week, it was reported that the Whites have made an approach over a deal to sign Tomas Soucek from West Ham. The Czech Republic international has been identified as a target by Daniel Farke, who sees the midfielder as someone who can offer goals and experience to his team. But obviously this deal can only go through if Leeds are back in the top flight.

Signing a new goalkeeper has also become a priority for the club, and according to The Sun, Leeds are lining up a move to sign Nick Pope as Illan Meslier’s replacement.

Newcastle are chasing a deal for James Trafford, and this could mean Pope is allowed to leave St James’ Park this summer, despite his wealth of Premier League experience.

Leeds want to beat Wolves to the signing of "technical" star

It is not just a new goalkeeper on the Whites’ transfer list, as according to Alan Nixon, relayed by Football League World, Leeds are now interested in signing Grady Diangana from West Brom, with the attacker ‘hoping’ the Whites sign him, while he would also welcome interest from rival suitors Wolves.

It is reported that Diangana, who joined the Baggies on a permanent basis in 2020, would like to make a move to the top flight come the end of the campaign. Both teams have shown a concrete interest in the player, while teams from the MLS are also interested in a possible deal.

However, Diangana, who is out of contract at the end of the season, is holding off interest from teams abroad, as he wants to concentrate on the remainder of the campaign with West Brom, as they can still finish in the top six. It is claimed that there are no signs of a deal being agreed between the player and the Baggies, meaning he will cost Leeds nothing this summer should they look to sign him.

Apps

198

Goals

26

Assists

21

Diangana has been a big hit in the Championship, but before joining the Baggies, West Ham manager Manuel Pellegrini labelled him a “technical” player with a great vision: “A technical player with a good view of the pitch and with a good solution when they receive the ball.”

Seamers share eight wickets as table-toppers face awkward final day at Grace Road

ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay10-Sep-2025If Leicestershire’s vision was to clinch promotion to Division One with a resounding victory, it looks unlikely to come to pass this week after a truncated third day of their Rothesay County Championship match left them trailing Gloucestershire by 150 runs.Shan Masood compiled a typically elegant 111 to mark his first-class debut for the county with the 30th hundred of his career but Leicestershire then lost their last six wickets for 22 to trail by 140 on first innings, bowled out for 342 as Gloucestershire seamer Matt Taylor finished with five for 70, backed up by new-ball partner Ajeet Singh Dale’s three for 78.Gloucestershire – who need a victory to keep their outside chance of promotion alive – were eight without loss from four overs in their second innings before a three-hour interruption due to rain, adding just two runs before a resumption at 5.30pm was curtailed after just 13 deliveries due to bad light. With earlier rain having delayed the start by 70 minutes, just 30 overs and one ball were bowled in all.Even if a win eludes them, Leicestershire’s lead in the division is so large that a top-two finish can still be confirmed this week if this match ends in a draw and the clash between third-placed Derbyshire and fourth-placed Middlesex at Lord’s is also drawn.Masood faced 176 balls and hit 13 fours on the way to his eighth first-class hundred in county cricket, having previously made them for Derbyshire and Yorkshire. The left-hander will be 36 next month but retains the capacity to produce moments of sublime skill at the crease, which he underlined with some beautiful strokeplay in this innings.After his 152-run partnership with Lewis Hill on Tuesday had seemed to set up Leicestershire for a substantial reply, there seemed little to suggest that would not happen as a second batting bonus point was secured in a morning session reduced to 50 minutes with Masood and Steve Eskinazi, also making his Championship debut for a new county, having added 82.But that all changed with the last delivery of the session, which resulted in Masood being given out leg before, the former Pakistan Test captain’s body language leaving no doubt that the decision did not meet with his approval.Masood’s dismissal was the catalyst for an unseemly collapse from 320 for four to 342 all out, with the follow-on only just avoided.Having put off taking the second new ball until after lunch, Gloucestershire took it immediately after the break and needed only 10 overs’ use of it to claim the remaining five Leicestershire wickets.Taylor, who had three wickets overnight, beat Ben Cox for pace and had Ben Mike nicking behind to complete his first five-wicket haul in two years.New-ball partner Singh Dale, bound for Lancashire at the end of the season, gained deserved rewards as ex-Middlesex batter Eskinazi’s county debut innings ended on 34 with a catch at second slip. Logan van Beek and Chris Wright became the fourth and fifth batters in the innings to fall leg before, Wright having at least hung around long enough to ensure that the visitors would bat again after the ninth wicket had gone with still one run needed.

Leeds United have now reportedly sent scouts to watch a standout European winger, who’s also attracted the interest of Manchester United.

Farke prepared for "top class" Liverpool

When the fixtures were released, this would been a week that many Leeds fans dreaded. By the end of this weekend, the Whites will have faced Manchester City, Chelsea and Liverpool in consecutive games in the most difficult run of games they’ve had so far this season. But what began as a nightmare may yet leave Leeds in dreamland.

Daniel Farke’s side were minutes away from securing a point from behind at the Etihad against Man City and then eased past Chelsea in shocking fashion on Wednesday. Now, they have the chance to compile the misery on a frail Liverpool side at Elland Road – making it six points from a possible nine.

It’s the greatest opportunity that Leeds will get to beat the Premier League champions, but Farke was quick to point out that Liverpool are still a “top class” side in his pre-match press conference.

Those in Yorkshire may have to get used to competing against the top six on and off the pitch, having also reportedly joined the race to sign Manchester United target Nilson Angulo.

Leeds join race to sign Nilson Angulo

According to TeamTalk, Leeds have now joined the race to sign Angulo after their scouts were spotted watching the Anderlecht winger in action. The Whites are joined by United, Tottenham Hotspur, Brighton & Hove Albion and Brentford in what is set to be a frantic Premier League battle.

Leeds star was looking "bang average" this season, now he's undroppable

This Leeds star has shone in their last two games

ByJoe Nuttall Dec 5, 2025

Dubbed one of Europe’s standout wingers by TeamTalk, the interest in Angulo should come as no surprise. The 22-year-old has taken his game to new levels in Belgium this season and looks destined for English football.

As scout Jacek Kulig pointed out, it was a “fantastic” start from Angulo this season and a start which has since seen him take his total to four goals and eight assists in all competitions.

It would be a major coup if Leeds managed to fend off competition from their rivals and sign the talented winger.

Leeds now prioritising £35m move to sign South American defender ahead of Juventus

England captain wants more fight from his side after crushing defeat in Brisbane leaves Ashes hopes hanging by thread

ESPNcricinfo staff07-Dec-20250:50

Stokes: ‘If we lose hope, we might as well not turn up’

Ben Stokes admitted that England had not been “able to stand up to the pressure” applied on them by Australia after his side went 2-0 down in the series in Brisbane. He said England had to show more fight but reiterated his belief that he could lead them back from the brink, with a 3-2 result now their only route to regaining the Ashes.England’s captain pinpointed dropped catches on the second night as one of the tourists’ key failings, undermining their rally with the pink ball under lights. Having been 290 for 3, Australia fell to 329 for 6 – still behind England’s first-innings 334 – but capitalised on a host of reprieves to eventually stretch their total beyond 500 on the third day.Stokes added that he did not believe there was a skills deficit with Australia but conceded England’s mentality in tough situations had twice been found wanting after two chastening defeats. For the second Ashes in a row, England find themselves 2-0 down after two games and, although they came back to draw in 2023, that would not be enough to reclaim the urn from Australia. Only once in Ashes history has a side won 3-2 after being 2-0 down, and that was Don Bradman’s Australia in 1936-37.Related

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“Very disappointing,” Stokes said at the post-match presentation. “A lot of it comes down to not being able to stand up to the pressure of this game, this format, when the game is on the line. In small passages, we’ve been able to bring the game back into some kind of control and then we’ve let us slip away. We’ve done that again here this week, and it’s very, very disappointing, in particular, because of the ability of the players that we have in that dressing room.”We need to think a bit harder and deeper about those moments and what we’re taking mentally into those, and overall show a bit more fight when it’s needed.”We sit there and watch what’s going on in front of us, what Australia are looking to throw at us, and what plans they’re trying to bowl to,” he added. “And then it’s up to us as players to be able to go out there with a plan and how to negate the threat.”To me, it just seems to be a constant theme at the moment, that when you know the game is in a pressure moment, Australia keep outdoing us. They say Australia isn’t a place for weak men. We’re definitely not weak, but we need to find something, because we’re two-nil down now we’ve got three more games to go, and we need to, sort it.”Speaking to TNT Sport after the game, he said that errors in the field had hurt England the most. England put down five chances on day two – Jamie Smith off Travis Head, Ben Duckett off Alex Carey and Josh Inglis, Brydon Carse off Michael Neser and Joe Root off Carey – as Australia carved out a match-defining lead of 177.ESPNcricinfo Ltd”A huge part of it was that we had to take 15 wickets,” Stokes said. “You can’t drop catches. They always come back to bite you. And I think it definitely showed there. If we were able to hold on to our chances, we shouldn’t have been batting last night [day three]. No one means to do that kind of stuff. No one means to drop catches. No one means to not bowl an area where you set plans to but, yeah, those kind of things just can’t happen at this level.”On the gap between the sides, he said: “It’s a mentality. It’s a mindset about how you take yourself out there in those situations. You know, Test cricket has its own pressures anyway, and how you handle those moments, how you handle yourself in those moments, how you get yourself into a clear head, a clear space to make good decisions. That’s so important to being successful at this level.”England had posted their highest score in Australia since 2018 after opting to bat first in the day-night Test, buoyed by Joe Root’s maiden hundred on Australian soil. But after Head’s reprieve on 3, Australia’s openers raced off to a 77-run opening stand, with Jake Weatherald’s punchy 72 from 78 setting the tone – and Stokes took some of the blame for a wayward bowling effort, as he and Brydon Carse in particular leaked runs.”Not being able to execute skill is something that you can live with, because no one means to bowl away from the plan that we’re trying to do. We knew exactly how we needed to bowl on that wicket, and we weren’t able to do it for a long enough period to put the Australian batters under pressure. And that was evident in the way that Australia were able to score so quickly and so easily against us.”I think Jofra and Gus set the tone very nicely, actually, when we first took ball, but then myself and Brydon sort of let the game get away from us quite quickly. So, yeah, just not being able to execute what’s needed, not only with batting and also with the ball. We’ll be having some conversations that I’ll be keeping in the dressing room.”Asked about lessons from previous tours – England have lost 5-0, 4-0 and 4-0 in their last three Ashes series down under – Stokes said that he wanted to maintain belief within the dressing room.”Don’t panic, don’t flap, don’t waver, and just have complete and utter belief in our guys as a team. Because I know we can do this. I believe emphatically in the group, I believe empathy, myself, as a captain, as a leader, that I can get the guys into a place where they need to be to able to win these next three games.”

The Cincinnati Reds and Atlanta Braves will meet at Bristol Motor Speedway Saturday night for Major League Baseball's Speedway Classic.

It's the first regular season MLB game to take place in the state of Tennessee and the first in the middle of a race track. Plus, a record-setting number of fans are slated to attend thanks to the capacity of just under 150,000 at Bristol Motor Speedway.

The league pulled out all the stops for the occasion, which includes a pregame concert headlined by Grammy award winning artists Pitbull and Tim McGraw. The fusion between music and baseball led to some crossovers that you could never dream up. Reds star Elly De La Cruz threw a couple batting practice pitches to McGraw (yes, that's a real sentence). Reds manager Terry Francona even met up with Pitbull, who had the perfect comment as the pair bonded over their shaved heads.

As Francona went to shake Pitbull's hand and explain a time they met before, Mr. 305 quipped back with a great response.

"Actually, you go to the same barber, that's what you were going to say?" he hilariously said to Francona as the two chuckled.

Reds relief pitcher Brent Suter came prepared to meet Mr. Worldwide, revealing a bald cap he had on under a cowboy hat:

First pitch between the Reds and the Braves at Bristol Motor Speedway is scheduled for 7:15 p.m. ET. A full field was constructed inside the track for the event. The MLB announced last Monday that more than 85,000 tickets were sold to date, which would eclipse the previous paid attendance record of 84,587 set at Cleveland Stadium in 1954.

Manchester United have been offered the chance to sign striker Dusan Vlahovic from Juventus for a much lower price than expected.

Particularly last season, much was said about Man United. The club endured what was, in terms of points return and league finish, their worst-ever Premier League campaign. Many of the club’s attacking options, such as Rasmus Hojlund and Joshua Zirkzee, struggled for form.

This, no doubt, contributed to their business ahead of the 2025/26 season. In what marked their first summer transfer window with Ruben Amorim as manager, the Red Devils signed Matheus Cunha, Bryan Mbeumo and Benjamin Sesko in what was a complete renovation of their attack.

The trio have since secured their places in the first team at Old Trafford, helping Man United record three successive Premier League wins for the first time under Amorim’s guidance before the draw at Nottingham Forest.

It would appear, however, that the Red Devils may look to further reinforce their attacking line in the upcoming January window.

Man United show interest in Vlahovic

As per TEAMtalk, Man United could pursue a move for Juventus striker Dusan Vlahovic this winter. Such a transfer, however, would only be explored if there is first a departure. Zirkzee could leave, having lost his place in the first team due to both new signings and poor form.

Vlahovic, who reportedly earns £375,000 per week in Turin, will become a free agent in July if he does not depart Juve at an earlier date, having been unable to negotiate a contract extension with the club. Were Vlahovic to remain, he would seemingly have to take a pay cut.

Having been called a “superstar” for his ability, Vlahovic would be available for just £17.5 million according to TEAMtalk, in no doubt due to his contract situation. Were Zirkzee to depart permanently, it would presumably provide Man United with the adequate funds to pursue Vlahovic. Even if the Dutchman left only on loan, it would free up a position within their first-team for the 25-year-old.

Given his lack of minutes so far this season, it can be presumed that Zirkzee has fallen down the pecking order. In Vlahovic, Man United would be signing competition for summer signing Sesko which, in turn, could benefit the Slovenian international.

Reportedly, Man United are “informed” of Vlahovic’s situation, but “that does not mean they will necessarily pull the trigger on the move” and whether a transfer materialises remains to be seen.

"Deadly" Man United academy star is another Bruno Fernandes