After opting to bat, Pakistan defended a modest 215 against Bangladesh in the opening ODI

ESPNcricinfo staff02-Nov-2019

Pakistan defended 215 against Bangladesh in the opening fixture of the three-ODI series that counts for the Women’s Championship, in Lahore, courtesy of a three-for by Sana Mir, who ensured opener Nahida Khan’s match-winning 68 and a collective disciplined showing from the bowling attack was not in vain in the low-scoring game.Bangladesh’s chase began on a wobbly note as they lost their top three for a mere 41 runs inside the first Powerplay. Leading the undoing of the visitors’ line-up was Mir herself, who removed opener Murshida Khatun for 4 and No. 3 Sanjida Islam in consecutive overs, leaving Bangladesh tottering on 9 for 2. Sharmin Akhter couldn’t muster a score beyond 20 and Fargana Hogue, the No. 4 batsman, too, fell after getting into the 20s.The want of partnerships continued to compound Bangladesh’s woes as only wicketkeeper-batsman Nigar Sultanamade a half-century for the visitors while four batsman departed after getting into the 20s. Bangladesh’s highest partnership – stitched together by Hoque and captain Rumana Ahmed for the fourth wicket – yielded only 38.Meanwhile, Pakistan’s spin trio, comprising Mir, Nashra Sandhu and debutant Sadia Iqbal, returned 7 for 115 from their combined 28.4 overs, including figures of 2 for 38 off Sadia’s allocated 10 overs of left-arm orthodox spin. Medium-pacer Diana Baig complemented the spinners with 2 for 43 off her 10 overs, helping skittle Bangladesh out for 186 in 47.4 overs.As with the visiting side, Pakistan’s batsmen failed to play out the entire 50 overs as experienced bowling allrounder Jahanara Alam struck thrice during her 10 overs at the expense of 44 runs, dismissing two set batsmen in captain Bismah Maroof and Aliya Raiyaz for 39 and 37 respectively. However, unlike Bangladesh, the hosts, who had opted to bat, strung three fifty stands, with Player of the Match Nahida involved in two of them.The top-scorer across sides, Nahida added 59 with Sidra Ameen for the opening stand, and then took Pakistan past 100 with a 69-run third-wicket partnership with Maroof. Nahida struck seven fours en route to her enterprising 97-ball 68 before she holed out to Ahmed off namesake Nahida Akter.After Nahida’s dismissal in the 36th over, Umaima Sohail and Aliya Riyaz put on 53 off 50 balls during their fifth-wicket stand. However, it wasn’t long before Pakistan suffered a collapse that saw them lose 5 for 27, the departure of Mir for 2 triggering the breakdown. The hosts folded inside 49 overs but not before they had put up a total that proved enough for them to take a 1-0 lead in series, having clinched the preceding T20I series 3-0.

Tottenham Hotspur has been one of the busiest Premier League clubs transfer-wise since Daniel Levy decided to appoint Ange Postecoglou last summer.

Regardless of the club's league finish this season there is bound to be plenty more activity after the campaign finishes. Spurs finished eighth last term and have hence been limited to domestic action, falling early in both the Carabao Cup and FA Cup nonetheless.

But there's a bigger picture here, and the lion's share of Tottenham supporters are enjoying the gains made under Postecoglou's leadership so far, with last weekend's emphatic victory at Villa Park narrowing Aston Villa's lead in the top four to just two points.

Spurs, who are fifth, have a game in hand. They also have a revived sense of fluency and two wins on the bounce. In short: Postecoglou has done stellar work bringing this squad's quality back to the fore.

Fully fit, Tottenham boast a line-up worthy of challenging for the title; this much was evident after the blistering start to the term, eight wins, two draws, top spot in the Premier League.

Injuries to influential summer signings Micky van de Ven and James Maddison back in November sent this remarkable resurgence into a spiral and the latter, amazing in his playmaking after signing from Leicester City last summer, was a gut-wrenching blow.

Maddison won the Premier League's Player of the Month award for August; the England international operates with intellect from No. 10. That can't be replaced, not readily.

Giovani Lo Celso stepped up, and a pat on the back to him, but his time in N17 may have entered its final few months and he must be sold during the off-season.

Why Giovani Lo Celso must leave Spurs this summer

Do the pros outweigh the cons? Likely not. Lo Celso joined Tottenham from Real Betis in a permanent £27m transfer back in January 2020 after spending six months in the English capital on loan, with Levy having already granted a £15m outlay for his services.

£43m, give or take. That's more than the £40m figure that Tottenham parted with to land Maddison last year. And after 98 appearances the Argentina international has ten goals, eight assists and 14 bookings for his labour, spending a sizeable chunk of his Tottenham career out on loan in Spain with Villarreal.

(GK) – Paulo Gazzaniga

(RB) – Serge Aurier

(CB) – Eric Dier

(CB) – Davinson Sanchez

(LB) – Ben Davies

(CM) – Dele Alli

(CM) – Moussa Sissoko

(RW) – Giovani Lo Celso

(AM) – Tanguy Ndombele

(LW) – Heung-min Son

(CF) – Harry Kane

He's an elegant and creative player and in fairness stepped up in Maddison's absence before Christmas, scoring two goals and providing two assists in the Premier League over November and December.

Moreover, the 27-year-old ranks among the top 2% of attacking midfielders and wingers across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for assists, the top 11% for shot-creating actions, the top 1% for pass completion and progressive passes and the top 3% for tackles per 90, as per FBref.

But he must leave. Lo Celso is clearly unfavoured by Postecoglou and has only really been handed roles from the outset when his manager had no other option. He's also on £70k-per-week and is out of contract in 2025, so he's not exactly earning a pittance and will continue to clog up valuable space and resources if not cashed in, when that is still possible this summer.

There have been rumours of late that Lo Celso is preparing to leave the club this summer and given the importance of catching up with those at the forefront, it may well be worth shipping him on.

Especially given the rise of Alfie Devine, who is currently competing out on loan with Plymouth Argyle in the Championship but could be ready for a role in Spurs' squad next year.

Why fans should be excited about Alfie Devine

Described as an "exquisite technician" by U23 scout Antonio Mango, Devine is a versatile midfielder with skill on the ball and intelligence without it.

He's scored 20 goals and added 12 assists over 80 outings for Tottenham's various youth sides and scored in the FA Cup for the senior side when he was just 16 years old, etching his name into the record books.

After that prodigious beginning to life on the major stage, Devine spent the next few seasons honing his craft with the development squad, moving out on loan to Port Vale earlier in the 2023/24 campaign and returning in January to move up a notch to the Championship, signing a short-term deal with Plymouth.

Alfie Devine's season in numbers

Devine was fantastic across the opening half of the season with Port Vale in League One. Still, Spurs exercised their option to recall him with the view that his skill set would be better served within the second tier of English football. While Argyle are struggling against relegation, he has offered plenty of promise.

As per Sofascore, the dynamic midfielder has chipped in with two assists across six starts for the Pilgrims, winning 57% of his ground duels and averaging 3.1 ball recoveries per game.

Once lauded as a "top-class" prospect by outspoken pundit Jamie Carragher, Devine has showcased his versatility across his separate loan spells this season while chalking up three goals and six assists in the process,

“Alfie’s performances have been very good, with and without the ball,” says Plymouth manager Ian Foster after his side's 2-0 defeat against promotion-chasing Leeds United.

“He has got a really good tactical brain, a really clear understanding of what we are asking him to do. He applies himself brilliantly.”

Postecoglou likes clever, he loves intuition and understanding. Devine is enjoying a season of growth and he must continue to ply his trade with conviction, as he has been doing, in order to bloom into the kind of player who can really make an impact for Spurs.

With Lo Celso headed for the exit, there's every chance that a prospect of his quality will be handed an opportunity next season.

European competition will be on the cards and Tottenham will hope to wade deeper in the domestic cup competitions.

Rising stars of Devine's ilk will be necessary, and he might just prove to be the perfect homegrown replacement to the likely leaving Lo Celso.

Wolverhampton Wanderers moved further up the Premier League table as they came away with a 2-1 win over Fulham at the Molineux on Saturday.

Gary O'Neil's side bounced back from their 3-0 drubbing at the hands of Newcastle United at St. James' Park to secure all three points against Marco Silva's side this weekend.

The former Bournemouth head coach has done a remarkable job since his arrival last summer, and deserves plenty of credit for getting the team firing this season.

It has been particularly impressive when you consider the context, as Wolves cashed in on a number of first-team stars during the summer transfer window to ease financial fair play concerns.

Matheus Nunes, Conor Coady, Raul Jimenez, Ruben Neves, Nathan Collins, and Ryan Giles were all sold, yet O'Neil has the side in eighth after 28 matches.

Not all of those players have gone on to be successful with their new clubs, though, as Collins, in particular, has struggled since his exit from Wolves, with his value dropping below Max Kilman's.

Nathan Collins' Wolves career in numbers

In the summer of 2022, the club decided to swoop to sign the Irish central defender from Burnley for a reported fee of £20.5m, as Bruno Lage's first signing of the window.

They took advantage of the Clarets' relegation down to the Championship to secure his services, in an attempt to bolster their defensive options.

The 22-year-old titan went on to enjoy a solid, if unspectacular, campaign under Lage and Julen Lopetegui at the heart of the Wolves defence, as they avoided the drop from the Premier League to the second tier.

Collins featured in 26 top-flight matches for the Old Gold but was only selected as a starter in 19 of those games, as he failed to nail down a guaranteed spot in the first XI.

He was unable to stand out as one of the team's top performers from a defensive perspective. The central defender ranked 12th within the squad for tackles (1.0) and fourth for interceptions (0.8) per game respectively, along with being 16th for average WhoScored rating (6.48).

His play in possession was equally as average. Collins ranked within the top 49% of Premier League centre-backs for progressive passes (3.18) per 90, and the top 43% for progressive carries (0.55) per 90.

This suggests that the Wolves titan was not an outstanding operator on the ball when it came to progressing play for his side. However, he was not below average in that regard either.

As you can see in the chart above, the Irish enforcer rarely made defensive errors, as he ranked within the top 17% of his positional peers for errors per 90.

Collins also managed to win the majority (55%) of his duels in the Premier League and did not make a single error that directly led to a goal for the opposition.

Overall, it was a respectable but unimpressive campaign with the club for the centre-back, which made it somewhat of a surprise when Brentford decided to splash the cash on him last summer.

Nathan Collins' Brentford career in numbers

Thomas Frank's side moved to sign the Ireland international from Wolves for a reported fee of £23m ahead of the 2023/24 campaign, which represented a £2.5m profit for the Old Gold on the £20.5m they paid Burnley for his signature just 12 months prior.

As it stands, it appears as though Brentford have had a howler with that transfer as Collins has endured a rough debut season with the Bees so far, which suggests that O'Neil's team played a blinder with their decision to part ways with him.

The 22-year-old defender has featured in 22 Premier League matches – starting 20 – this term but has struggled badly in and out of possession, which has led to his market value dropping – now lower than Kilman's.

Football Transfers currently has his Expected Transfer Value (xTV) at £19.7m, which is the lowest it has been since before his move to Wolves from Burnley in 2022.

As you can see in the table above, the Brentford flop has been well below average in a number of important possession-based statistics, as he has rarely progressed the play or created dangerous attacks for his team.

Collins has also struggled defensively with a staggering four errors that have directly led to goals for the opposition in the Premier League – four more than he managed for Wolves last term.

In fact, he ranks within the bottom 4% of top-flight centre-backs for errors (0.20) per 90, which illustrates how much of a defensive liability the giant has been for the Bees.

Max Kilman's current market value

Whilst Collins has been struggling with Brentford, Kilman has been in colossal form for Wolves at the heart of O'Neil's defence in the Premier League this season.

At the time of writing (10/03/2024), Football Transfers has his current xTV at £22m, which is up from the £19.3m he was valued at in July of last year. This means that he is currently valued higher than his former central defensive teammate, when the opposite was true last July when the Irishman joined Brentford for £23m.

The English brute has started all 28 of his team's top-flight matches this season and provided a consistent, solid, presence at the back for the Old Gold.

As you can see in the table above, Kilman has outperformed the former Wolves defender in a number of key statistics, with four fewer errors (zero) in six more appearances in the Premier League.

The left-footed colossus has been aerially dominant against opposition forwards and recovered the ball more frequently for his side, which suggests that the 26-year-old ace has been the better of the two players this season.

That is reflected in their contrasting fluctuations in value since last summer, which also shows that Wolves had a blinder by selling Collins to Brentford for £23m as he has flopped with Frank's side so far.

Chris Green has signed the longest deal in BBL history after Sydney Thunder signed the offspinner for a further six seasons.Green, 26, is one of the very few Australian players who isn’t involved in the traditional domestic state pathway, instead opting to become a T20 globetrotter. But the Thunder have signed him on for six seasons not only for his value as a specialist T20 spinner with an ability bowl in the powerplay, as well as being a crafty lower-order batsman, but also for his loyalty to the Thunder and his standing as a leader and ambassador for the club.Despite not currently being involved in four-day and 50-over cricket for New South Wales – he has never played a first-class game – Green has been encouraged by feedback from the Australian selectors about his international prospects. He was not selected for Australia’s most recent two T20I series but was picked to play in the Prime Minister’s XI and the Cricket Australia XI T20 tour games against Sri Lanka and Pakistan and remains in contention for the T20 World Cup in Australia next year.Green said he was grateful for the Thunder’s backing after being the first franchise to give him a chance.”Thunder was the first team that backed me when I was playing grade cricket, so to lock in my future with the club is really exciting,” Green said. “It’s not often you have security, so for me to get that with a club that I love, I’m really excited and very grateful for this opportunity to continue to represent Thunder into the future.”Green’s performances for the Thunder in the powerplay have propelled him to opportunities in the Caribbean Premier League where he has starred for the Guyana Amazon Warriors. He has also played in Canada’s Global T20, the T20 Blast and the PSL. He is currently playing for the Northern Warriors in the Abu Dhabi T10 tournament.

It’s the last weekend of the regular season in the WBBL with the final push for a spot in the knockouts

ESPNcricinfo staff30-Nov-2019Sydney Sixers v Adelaide StrikersSarah Coyte’s three-for and Tahlia McGrath’s 2 for 19 and a 35-ball 30 amplified Sydney Sixers’ chances of missing out on a place in the WBBL semi-finals for the first time in history of the tournament as the Adelaide Strikers chased the paltry target of 94 down with 29 balls to spare.In the injury-enforced absence of regular captain Ellyse Perry, Alyssa Healy opted to bat in the first of the two must-win weekend fixtures against the Strikers. But it didn’t pay off at Hurstville Oval as Healy and No. 3 Ashleigh Gardner fell inside three overs to Megan Schutt, who finished with 2 for 12.The Sixers never recovered from the early wobble as Coyte and McGrath dented the middle and lower-middle order with regular strikes, Coyte returning an outstanding 3 for 9 – with a maiden – off her full allocation. Marizanne Kapp top-scored with 20 while Dane van Niekerk made 19, but their efforts could only help the Sixers to 93 for 9.Strikers opener Suzie Bates’ dismissal in the first over, courtesy Kapp, raised hopes of a fightback. However, a 72-run stand between McGrath and Sophie Devine – the latter making 46 not-out on her way to becoming the first overseas player to 2000 WBBL runs – steered Strikers to their tenth win of the season – and the top of the table – in only 15.1 overs.Melbourne Stars v Melbourne RenegadesJess Duffin continued to carry the Melbourne Renegades on her shoulders as they pushed for a place in the semi-finals with a superbly-paced chase against the Melbourne Stars to win by six wickets with a ball to spare. Duffin struck 76 off 57 balls after coming in at 2 for 11 in the second over, initially steadying the innings with Tammy Beaumont before adding 81 in 10 overs with Courtney Webb (30). Georgia Wareham then played a vital cameo in a tense finish with eight need off the last over. The Stars had fallen away after a tremendous opening stand of 118 in 13 overs between Elyse Villani (45) and Lizelle Lee (70). That pair departed in the space of three deliveries and the Stars could only add 44 in the remainder of the innings, 20 of those coming off the last over.Perth Scorchers v Hobart HurricanesErin Fazackerley’s first half-century of the season set up Hobart Hurricanes’ emphatic six-wicket win over the Perth Scorchers. Hurricanes’ successful chase of 108 gave them only their fourth win of the tournament, but pegged back the third-placed Scorchers on their path to consolidating their position in the top two, heading into the final day of the league stage.The Hurricanes attack bowled the Scorchers out for a meagre 107 after opting to field at the Lilac Hill Park. Tayla Vlaeminck accounted for openers Amy Jones and Meg Lanning with two outstanding inswingers inside the Powerplay. Medium-pacers Belinda Vakarewa and Nicola Carey and wristspinner Maisy Gibson then combined to take five wickets between them, bowling the opposition out off the last ball of the 20th over.Opening the innings for the Hurricanes, 21-year-old Fazackerley anchored the chase, hitting five fours and two sixes in a 48-ball 58 – the second half-century in her WBBL career. Although medium-pacer Taneale Peschel’s double-wicket second over – she was on a hat-trick when Fran Wilson was on strike – caused a scare early in the chase, captain Corine Hall and South Africa allrounder Chloe Tryon – the latter hitting a six for the winning runs – ensured the Hurricanes overhauled the chase in 15.4 overs, six balls after Fazackerley fell.The final set of league games will be played on Sunday, with the Sixers and the Melbourne Renegades vying for the fourth and final berth in the knockouts. The Strikers, Scorchers, and Brisbane Heat are already through.

Domestic abuse campaigner and survivor David Challen has urged Manchester United to donate the transfer fee they received from Mason Greenwood's sale.

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Domestic abuse campaigner slams Man UtdUrged club to donate money to charitySold Greenwood to Marseille WHAT HAPPENED?

Challen slammed Manchester United's new minority stakeholder Sir Jim Ratcliffe and his INEOS group for selling Greenwood to Marseille instead of just releasing the winger. Earlier this week, the player completed his permanent transfer away from Old Trafford in a deal worth €30 million (£25m/$34m).

AdvertisementInstagram/olympiquedemarseilleWHAT HAS BEEN SAID

Speaking to i, the activist said: "Man Utd’s a massive global sports club that rakes in hundreds of millions a year and that they didn’t release a player – which they could have done quite easily – and chose to retain him for their own financial needs, really prioritises the financial needs of the company above women.

"It seems to be a phase of the vision of what’s happening at Man Utd anyway. It’s a disturbing insight into the culture at Man Utd and how they are treating women, pushing them quite literally to the side and the periphery of the club. He [Sir Jim Ratcliffe] cares about success on the pitch for the men’s team but the women won a major trophy [the FA Cup] and he wasn’t even there."

He added: "It just doesn’t seem like the club cares, even on a basic level, about women and girls. They didn’t even engage with women’s charities until the 11th hour, the fact they can’t donate to one of those charities or maybe a charity in the local area, it’s woeful, especially for a club of Man Utd’s size. Services nationally are crippled and need funding, even in the local area. It’s staggering but unfortunately, it’s not surprising, because they had the chance to release him but they didn’t.

"This was a real moment where the best thing to do is recognise there is a problem with sexual violence in football, it’s going to keep going and there are going to be more instances where abuse happens at clubs. Insisting the UK Government should introduce an independent body to investigate similar cases in sport. They’re not responsible bodies to investigate that, which is why I’ve always advocated for an independent body to regulate and review that and take it off the hands of internal investigations as opposed to marking their own work. More often than not, they hire external independent barristers who then deliver their thoughts back to them, [and they] make their judgment and deliver that judgment to the public who have no oversight or transparency as to the process that has occurred."

THE BIGGER PICTURE

Right after the player completed his move to Marseille, the club introduced him to the media in a press conference in which he was asked about the charges of assault, attempted rape and coercive control that were brought against him but later dropped. The club immediately cut off one journalist asking about it as the 22-year-old sat still.

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MarseilleWHAT NEXT FOR MASON GREENWOOD?

The former England international could make his debut in the Ligue 1 on August 18 as Marseille kick off their new season against Brest.

Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca was forced to defend his playing style after the Blues shared the spoils against Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney's Wrexham.

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• Chelsea held to a 2-2 draw by Wrexham
• Questions were raised about Maresca's style
• Manager admitted to room for improvement

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Christopher Nkunku put the Blues in front with a clinical finish in the 35th minute. Both teams made extensive changes during the halftime break, leading to a surprise comeback by Wrexham. Luke Bolton and Jack Marriott capitalized on Chelsea's defensive errors to score and put Wrexham ahead. And if it was not for Lesley Ugochukwu's 82nd-minute equaliser, Maresca would have had to leave the Levi's Stadium with an egg on his face.

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  The defensive mistakes highlighted that Chelsea players are still warming up to Maresca's possession-based strategy which involves patient build-up play from the back. Although the manager remains aware of the potential risks involved in this strategy, he asserted that he would remain committed to his style of play.

• WHAT MARESCA SAID

  When Maresca was asked by reporters if he was worried about conceding too many, he replied: "Hopefully, not too many. It is one of the risks that you have trying to build from behind."

  The 44-year-old tactician further added: "I have no doubt. I think you are going to concede in different ways, so you need to decide in which way you need to concede a goal. Sometimes teams that try to build from the back concede goals but I think you are going to score more than you concede.

  "For sure, we did many things we can improve, but we started just two weeks ago. Tonight was important to start seeing the identity of the team and the identity is there."

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• DID YOU KNOW?

  Maresca provided insights into Chelsea's tactical experiments during the match. In the first half, Reece James operated as an inverted full-back, moving into the midfield to provide additional support. This approach aimed to enhance the team's build-up play and create more attacking options.

  "We tried to build with three and two. First-half with James inside and second-half with Malo [Gusto] inside," Maresca explained.

  "It does not matter about the level of the opposition; when they sit back with 11 players behind the ball, it's always difficult to find space and solutions are not easy. In this moment, we started just two weeks ago, it's important that us as the staff and the people can start to see the identity of the team. Tonight it was quite clear. For sure we are going to add more solutions. Like I said, the result for us is always important but in this moment, also we need to judge different things."

اعترف كوستاس تسيميكاس بأنه سيفتقد ثلاثي ليفربول ترينت ألكسندر أرنولد ومحمد صلاح وفيرجيل فان دايك.

وتنتهي عقود محمد صلاح وأرنولد وفان دايك مع ليفربول بنهاية الموسم الجاري، ولم يصلوا إلى اتفاق للتجديد.

واعتبارًا من يناير، سيتمكن كل منهم من الدخول في مناقشات مع أندية من خارج الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز، مع دخولهم الأشهر الستة الأخيرة من عقودهم.

وقال تسيميكاس لشبكة “سكاي سبورتس” عن محمد صلاح وأرنولد وفان دايك: “الأمر متروك لهم فيما سيفعلونه، بالتأكيد، اللاعبون الذين يغادرون، سنفتقدهم كثيرًا لأنهم جميعًا هنا لسنوات عديدة”.

وأضاف: “إنهم يعرفون ما يريدونه من المستقبل، لكن تفكيرهم دائمًا هو الاستمتاع بكل لحظة هنا، أعتقد أن هذا هو أهم شيء بالنسبة لهم، ولا تعرف ما سيحمله المستقبل”.

اقرأ أيضًا | بينانت يرشح لاعب برشلونة لخلافة محمد صلاح في ليفربول

وسبق وأفاد محمد صلاح في تصريحات أدلى بها بشهر سبتمبر الماضي، أن هذا الموسم هو الأخير له مع ليفربول نظرًا لأن النادي لم يفتح معه محادثات تجديد العقد.

كما قال فان دايك بعد تعادل ليفربول وآرسنال: “دعونا نرى ما سيحدث في نهاية الموسم، أنا أستمتع بكرة القدم، أشعر أنني بحالة جيدة للغاية، جسديًا وعقليًا، أنا في مكان جيد ولا يمكن قول المزيد، أريد فقط الاستمرار في الاستمتاع باللعبة”.

Manchester United have offloaded a lot of talent over the last couple of seasons, as the club looks to raise transfer funds and clear the already expensive wage bill.

Players such as James Garner and Anthony Elanga came through the Carrington Academy before both being sold over the last couple of summer transfer windows.

The pair have both excelled after their respective permanent moves to Everton and Nottingham Forest, with the Red Devils potentially regretting letting the duo leave for a combined £24m.

Erik ten Hag's side have been desperate for defensive reinforcements this season, after injuries to the likes of Harry Maguire, Lisandro Martinez and Raphael Varane.

United might have been better off keeping a youngster who they sold on the cheap during the summer, with the former Red Devils man in brilliant form so far at his new club.

Teden Mengi's stats at Manchester United

After joining the club at the age of just seven, defender Teden Mengi signed his first professional contract in September 2019, with the youngster having a big future ahead of him at the Theatre of Dreams.

He subsequently made his United first team debut in the Europa League clash against LASK in the 2019/20 campaign, before being loaned out to Derby County to gain valuable game time.

However, a hamstring injury cut his spell short, with the youngster only making nine appearances for Wayne Rooney's side.

Mengi would recover from his injury to join Birmingham City for the 2021/22 Championship season, but a recurrence of his hamstring problem saw his spell in the West Midlands come to an abrupt end, after just ten appearances in all competitions. Despite that, boss Lee Bowyer still found the time to hail his "outstanding" displays.

His two injury-hit campaigns would see him feature for the Red Devils' U21 side in the Premier League 2 for the 2022/23 season, before being permanently sold during last summer's transfer window.

Mengi's sale would bring an end to his 14-year affiliation with United, with the 21-year-old joining newly promoted Luton Town – a move that would allow him to flourish and show glimpses of his potential.

Teden Mengi's market value in 2024

Seven months after he departed Old Trafford, centre-back Mengi has seen his value soar, with the youngster rapidly developing under the guidance of Hatters boss Rob Edwards.

Although he signed for an undisclosed fee, the 21-year-old's market price has risen from £1.7m when he left United to £10.2m as per Transfermarkt – a remarkable increase of over 500% to his highest-ever market value.

July 2020

Manchester United

£850k

March 2021

Derby County (loan)

£1.2m

December 2021

Manchester United

£1.7m

May 2022

Birmingham City (loan)

£1.7m

June 2023

Manchester United

£1.7m

December 2023

Luton Town

£6m

March 2024

Luton Town

£10.2m

His rapid development has seen his value surpass that of striker Anthony Martial, who is now worth just £8.5m, eight years after his seismic £61.5m move from Monaco.

Given his tender age of just 21, the "unbelievable" defender, as dubbed by Statman Scouts, has huge potential to improve with his impressive season at Luton not going unnoticed.

He received an England U21 call-up for the current international break, with Mengi potentially featuring in their next game against Luxembourg tonight.

With the Red Devils' current injury problems at centre-back, they might live to regret selling Mengi when they did with the former United youngster starting to showcase his talents which were once hindered by injury.

Hosts fail to capitalise on bowlers’ discipline but don’t feel match has got away from them

George Dobell in Mount Maunganui21-Nov-2019

New Zealand were left to rue missed opportunities after a day of hard work and few rewards at the Bay Oval.On a slow – some might say painfully slow – surface, New Zealand kept such a check on England’s scoring that, for much of the day, the run-rate barely rose much above two-an-over.But a couple of missed opportunities – not least a dropped chance offered by Ben Stokes on 63 – meant New Zealand were unable to capitalise on their bowlers’ discipline. Rory Burns also survived a chance on 37, when he edged the deserving Tim Southee between slip fielders who left the chance to one another while Burns might also have been given out had New Zealand reviewed an appeal for caught behind when he had 10. Replays suggested he had edged Trent Boult to the keeper, but New Zealand were unable to hear the edge in the blustery wind.Also read: Patience pays off in England’s new old-fashioned wayWhile Neil Wagner later insisted, with more than a little justification, that New Zealand were satisfied with the way they bowled and “fairly happy” with the match situation, he accepted such moments were “frustrating”.”By no stretch have they got away from us so I think we’re still fairly happy with where we are at,” he said. “It is frustrating when catches go down and those things happen, but we’re a close group and no-one drops a catch on purpose. It can happen.”Ben Stokes is a special talent and he is a bit of a freak at times. Everyone wants to get him out because you know how important a wicket he is.”When it’s windy it’s quite hard to hear those things [edges]. There was a little bit of a noise but it was a bob each way, you have to take that risk with reviews but also you want to keep hold of them for when you do need them.”I thought we bowled well today and stuck at it. I know that our bowlers have bowled way worse than that and had more luck.”Although New Zealand were able to gain more swing than was, perhaps, anticipated the slow nature of the pitch meant both sides were persuaded to take a fairly attritional approach to the game. And Wagner was quick to pay tribute to England’s patient batting.”They batted really well,” he said. “They showed lots of patience and left well. There was swing on offer throughout the day and everything we threw at them they played quite well. At times they had a bit of luck but you need a bit of luck sometimes in cricket. The toss was always going to be crucial. It tends to be nice to bat on on day one.”There may be questions about the role – or the usage – of spinner Mitchell Santner, though. He was not called upon to bowl until the 72nd over of the day and delivered only five overs on the day. He may yet win the game for New Zealand in the second innings – though it doesn’t seem especially likely; he’s taken 13 wickets in 10 Tests in New Zealand – but his lack of overs on the first day does increase the workload on his colleagues.Much of the burden was taken up by Colin de Grandhomme. In 19 disciplined overs he conceded only two boundaries and went at under one-and-a-half an over. He also claimed the wickets of both openers as he maintained a perfect length and gained just enough swing to threaten the edge of the bat.”He’s got good skills and, with the pitch being on the slow side and getting slower, his slight lack of pace makes it hard to force the gaps,” Rory Burns said. “The men in the ring become catching options and you have to wait to pick him off.”The pitch seems like it’ll probably get slower so it’s lending itself to quite attritional cricket. You’ve got to scrap in and get in.”Wagner added: “There’s a long way to go and a lot of cricket to play. It is hard to say if the pitch will deteriorate. There’s a lot of unknown factors at the ground. This is the first Test match here and in the domestic games we’ve played here it tends to dry out with the wind.”