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Man United plunged into crisis this week following Ruben Amorim’s brutal dismissal on Monday morning, with the Portuguese lasting just 14 months at Old Trafford before being sacked after a breakdown in relations with the hierarchy.

This tense relationship behind-the-scenes culminated in explosive post-match comments, demanding director of football Jason Wilcox and United chiefs ‘do their jobs’, and Amorim was then shown his P45 soon afterward.

Amorim’s departure leaves United sixth in the Premier League table and searching desperately for stability.

Under-18s coach Darren Fletcher will take temporary charge for tonight’s Burnley trip, but the club immediately began conversations with external candidates about a longer interim appointment until the end of the season.

Ole Gunnar Solskjær has emerged as the clear frontrunner to return to Manchester in a stunning comeback.

Related Big name title-winning manager now open to replacing Amorim at Man United

It would be an arguable statement appointment.

Posts ByEmilio Galantini

The Norwegian has been in advanced talks with United’s hierarchy, with reports from his homeland suggesting that Solskjear could sign his contract on Friday to become interim boss until the end of 2025/2026.

Multiple sources confirm Solskjaer is keen on returning regardless of contract length, demonstrating his enduring connection to the club where he became a legend as a player.

The 51-year-old has been without a job since leaving Turkish side Besiktas in August after a brief spell in charge. His availability also makes him an attractive option for United, who need someone immediately without paying compensation to another club.

Solskjaer still has a house in Cheshire and remains deeply connected to Manchester, making the logistics pretty straightforward.

His potential return mirrors the circumstances of his first appointment in December 2018 when he arrived as caretaker to replace José Mourinho.

Solskjaer won 14 of his first 19 matches in that spell, earning himself a permanent three-year contract in March 2019. His overall record at United saw him win 91 of his 168 matches in charge before being sacked in November 2021 following a dismal run of form.

He could be the ideal man to steady the ship, at least for now, but INEOS are also thinking about the long-term.

Simone Inzaghi responds to huge Man United contract offer

According to Italian newspaper Tuttosport, the Red Devils have approached Simone Inzaghi about becoming their next permanent manager.

The former Inter boss currently manages Saudi Arabian giants Al-Hilal and United’s emissaries floated an offer that would have made him among the Premier League’s highest-paid managers at £15 million per season (roughly £288,000-per-week).

However, as per Tuttosport, it is a ‘no, thank you’ from the Italian who guided the Nerazzurri to two Champions League finals and a Serie A title in 2024, not to mention multiple Coppa Italias during his four-year stay at the San Siro.

Inzaghi and his camp apparently declined without even exploring the details further.

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The 48-year-old wants to complete his project at Al-Hilal, where he signed a two-year contract worth approximately £43 million last summer.

His side currently sit top of the Saudi Pro League with a one-point advantage over Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr, having won 10 matches and drawn two from 12 games.

Al-Hilal also lead their Asian Champions League group with six victories from six matches, demonstrating why the ‘special’ Inzaghi remains committed despite United’s lucrative approach.

The club guaranteed him substantial financial backing, and he continues strengthening his squad, recently pursuing Inter defenders Stefan de Vrij and Francesco Acerbi to bolster his defense.

United had also contacted Zinedine Zidane before approaching Inzaghi. However, the French legend has already committed to managing France after the 2026 World Cup, making him also unavailable.

Related Every Premier League and EFL manager sacked in the 2025/26 season

All the managerial departures in the 2025/26 campaign.

Posts ByCharlie Smith

An unusually crisp and cold March greeted the players from India and Zimbabwe in the capital city New Delhi where the second and final Test was to be played. Down one-nil, the visitors had to win the match to square the series. The Feroz Shah Kotla wicket on first viewing looked like it was going to deteriorate and might not even last the five days. A batsman’s party track and the spinners could look forward to the turn that the pitch would provide as the days went by.Both sides made one change from the side that played in the city of oranges, Nagpur. Gavin Rennie made way for Dion Ebrahim for Zimbabwe and V V S Laxman was replaced by Virendra Sehwag for India. Stuart Carlisle won the all-important toss and elected to bat; Sourav Ganguly’s bad luck with tosses continued as he had to do what the opposition demandedZimbabwe did not have the ideal start as the two openers, captain Carlisle and Trevor Gripper, were dismissed cheaply. Zimbabwe were in deep trouble, and the tale of woe seemed to continue. The silver lining came in the form of young Dion Ebrahim, playing in his 12th Test, who played an innings of character, surpassing his personal best but unfortunately missing out on what would have been his first Test century by only 6 runs. Scoring your first Test century is a feeling that is indescribable. There is a sense of achievement, a sense of fulfillment and above all a sense of confidence.The other ray of hope was the positive in-touch Andy Flower who stroked the ball with immaculate touch. He inched his way to a much awaited century but fell eight short. One must admit that it was good to see Andy back in the limelight, after staying away in the shade for what seemed like a long time. The other star performance came from the dauntless and gutsy Travis Friend who battled almost alone to get his team to a respectable score. Eventually Zimbabwe were bowled out for 319.For India, Anil Kumble added three more wickets to his tally, and Zaheer Khan, Javagal Srinath and Harbhajan Singh pocketed two wickets each, showing a satisfactory all-round display in the bowling department.India started with a few hiccups, but seemed to settle down on a pitch that promised runs. Even though the star master – Tendulkar – could not score a large number, the captain Sourav Ganguly took the reins in his hand and got to his eighth Test century, but more importantly he broke the 28-month period where no hundreds were scored. The new sensation with the willow for India, the Tendulkaresque Virendra Sehwag, played a useful innings and helped India to get close to the Zimbabwean total. India were bowled out for 329.For the visitors, Heath Streak impressed on a wicket that was nowhere near ideal for pace, as he claimed four wickets, and spinner Ray Price bowled sensibly as he added three more to his tally.Zimbabwe failed to make a mark in the second innings as wickets fell like a pack of cards (for want of a better metaphor). The only performances worth mentioning were a 37 from the captain Carlisle and a gutsy 49 from Grant Flower. The spin twins for India ruled the day as they claimed all the wickets among themselves, with Harbhajan claiming six wickets and Anil Kumble adding four more to his ever increasing tally of Test wickets.The hosts were required to get a modest 122 to win the match and thereby the series. But the number 122 will ring loud for some of the team as a few years ago they lost a Test match to the West Indies, failing to get to the same total. They started on the wrong note, losing wickets cheaply, but one solid partnership saved the day for the hosts. They won the match by four wickets on paper, but the real winners were the Zimbabweans, who put up a gutsy fight right till the end. They deserved to win, but then that is cricket: you don’t always get what you deserve.The honours went to the Indians, but the visitors can take heart from the fact that, in the eyes of many cricket lovers, the sheer willingness to perform did wonders for the game.The Indian spin twins walked away with accolades, Harbhajan adjudged the man of the match and Anil Kumble the man of the series.That was curtains on the two-match Test series between India and Zimbabwe, with the hosts taking the final bow. With every series there are things to be learnt, and in this never-ending quest for knowledge, teams enhance their greatness.There will be another encounter, another place, another time and the game of cricket will continue to enthrall. One thing is for certain – the cricket show will go on!

	Ricky Ponting wants the IPL to go ahead © Getty Images

Ricky Ponting says Cricket Australia should not attempt to make itssponsorship deals globally recognised if such a move would stop currentAustralian players joining the Indian Premier League (IPL). The Australianboard is concerned that its players might endorse products that clash withits own deals, as part of their IPL agreements.However, the IPL chairman Lalit Modi said the league would press onwithout Ponting and his men if Cricket Australia pursued worldwidesponsorship protection, and Ponting was not keen on that possibility.”There are already some globally-protected sponsors of Cricket Australia,there are a couple of them,” Ponting said.”I don’t think Cricket Australia would be able to make any of their othersponsors global sponsors … If they tried to do that I’m sure theplayers’ association would have something to say about it. It would be alittle bit unfair if that was the case.”Ponting and his team-mates stand to earn significant pay cheques forjoining the IPL and they would be understandably frustrated if theiragreements fell through. He saw no reason for Cricket Australia not toclear players to take part in the league.”It’s a domestic competition, as county cricket is,” Ponting said.”There’s never been any worry about Cricket Australia releasing guys to goand play county cricket. That’s the reason Cricket Australia backed it allin the first place, because it was a domestic tournament and it wouldn’tbe actually taking Australian players away from their domesticcompetitions or the Australian team.”However, the chances of seeing Ponting and his men representing IPLfranchises this year depend largely on whether Australia’s scheduled tourof Pakistan goes ahead, as the trip would clash with the Indiantournament. Ponting said with the exception of the retiring AdamGilchrist, who looks set to play, the Australians hadshelved all thoughts about the league for the time being.”I haven’t even thought about the IPL,” Ponting said. “We’ve had a lot onour plate over the last few weeks. The likelihood of us Australian playersbeing able to play this year anyway was pretty minimal. We’ll worry aboutall those other outside distractions, if you like, once this summer isover and done with.”

Shane Watson says he has been hitting the ball “extremely well” © Getty Images

Shane Watson believes his World Cup warm-up half-centuries against England and Zimbabwe last week were his greatest efforts for Australia. Watson was “stoked” after striking 55 against England, following on from his 81 three days earlier.”It’s probably the best I have batted in international cricket,” he told . “I have hit the ball extremely well.” The performances continued Watson’s hot streak when opening for Australia; in eight ODIs at the top he has passed fifty four times and averages 41.85.With Matthew Hayden ready to slot back into the line-up alongside Adam Gilchrist, Watson will most likely be bumped down to No. 7 for Australia’s title defence. However, Watson is just happy to be part of the action having missed the 2003 World Cup with stress fractures in his back.”I had only been in the Australian set-up for about a year leading up to that World Cup,” he said. “I suppose I took it for granted that I would be at the World Cup because when I started playing it was just on the horizon.”Now I appreciate it more because it comes around only every four years. I was really making sure I was right fitness-wise for this World Cup because I knew how much it would have meant to not be here.”Watson had an interrupted lead-up to the Caribbean tournament, with persistent hamstring problems ruining his home summer. He was named in the squad for the first Ashes Test in November but had to withdraw and was not fully fit again until the CB Series finals in February.

Greg Blewett has run out of chances in a disappointing season © Getty Images

Greg Blewett’s first-class future is hazy after he was dropped by South Australia for their crucial Pura Cup clash against Western Australia in Perth from Friday. The Redbacks, who experienced a nerve-wracking one-wicket ING Cup loss yesterday, need strong performances in their final two games to move from equal third into a finals position, and they will make their attempt without their second-most experienced batsman.Blewett, who played 46 Tests, has struggled this season with a thigh injury and has scored only 270 runs at 24.54 in seven games. He joins Ben Cameron and Cullen Bailey, the legspinner who was not expected to have impact at the WACA, on the casualty list.”I am obviously disappointed not to be selected, but understand the reasons why I was omitted,” Blewett said. “I am looking forward to getting back to club cricket and getting plenty of runs for Kensington.”Daniel Harris and Shane Deitz have been recalled after impressive grade performances and the selectors also had their 165-run partnership in last year’s corresponding fixture in mind when they made their choices. Western Australia, who selected an unchanged squad after their success against New South Wales, are level with South Australia and New South Wales on 20 points, four behind Victoria and eight adrift of Queensland.The Bulls have named the same squad for their top-of-the-table match with the Bushrangers in Melbourne starting on Thursday. An outright victory would almost certainly seal Queensland hosting rights for next month’s final after they defeated South Australia in Brisbane last week. Matthew Hayden and Shane Warne will play their final games of the domestic season before joining the Test squad in South Africa for the three-match series.Victoria have made three changes, including handing a state debut to the former New South Wales wicketkeeper Nathan Pilon. Brad Hodge and Jason Arnberger return from illness after missing the 120-run loss to Tasmania and they step in for Michael Klinger and Andrew McDonald.Pilon’s selection ahead of Adam Crosthwaite was the biggest surprise, but he was pleased with his elevation after two successful seasons with the Carlton club. “I’m thrilled with this opportunity and am really looking forward to Thursday’s game,” Pilon, who scored 111 and 33 in last week’s 2nd XI match against New South Wales, said. “My form’s been pretty solid, and will hopefully continue.”South Australia Shane Deitz, Cameron Borgas, Mark Cosgrove, Daniel Harris, Darren Lehmann (capt), Callum Ferguson, Graham Manou (wk), Mark Cleary, Jason Gillespie, Dan Cullen, Paul Rofe, Shaun Tait.Western Australia Justin Langer (capt), Marcus North, Chris Rogers, Shaun Marsh, Adam Voges, David Bandy, Luke Ronchi (wk), Beau Casson, Brett Dorey, Steve Magoffin, Ben Edmondson, Shawn Gillies.Queensland Jimmy Maher (capt), Matthew Hayden, Martin Love, Clinton Perren, James Hopes, Brendan Nash, Lachlan Stevens, Chris Hartley (wk), Andy Bichel, Ashley Noffke, Daniel Doran, Michael Kasprowicz.Victoria Jason Arnberger, Lloyd Mash, Brad Hodge, Nick Jewell, David Hussey, Jon Moss, Cameron White (capt), Nathan Pilon (wk), Shane Warne, Allan Wise, Gerard Denton, Shane Harwood.

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Match starts 14.00GMT Thursday, March 31

Shivnarine Chanderpaul discusses tactics with Bennett King© Getty Images

Ticket sales for the first Test in Guyana appear to have been seriously affected by West Indies’ ongoing sponsorship row. As it is, the Bourda, which is usually close to capacity for the opening day of a Test, could be less than a quarter full.As ever in Guyana, local weather forecasts have played their part – thundery showers are predicted for the next five days – but the increasingly bitter dispute which means that Brian Lara won’t be playing has also taken its toll. “With all this controversy, I think it’s because of the team,” a ground official told The Daily Telegraph. “Most people are waiting to see what happens.”To underline what is at stake in the contract dispute, visitors to Guyana are greeted with a huge billboard showing Ramnaresh Sarwan endorsing Cable & Wireless. Sarwan is one of the seven who have the personal deals with C&W which have led to their being dropped.Unless there is some last-gasp compromise – and both sides appear fairly entrenched as things stand – it will be an unfamiliar West Indies side which takes the field tomorrow, and one assembled against a backdrop of virtual civil war. Their squad includes some new faces – Donovan Pagon, Narsingh Deonarine, and Dwight Washington – as well as some old ones brought back to plug the holes. Tony Howard, the manager, remained positive.”We are trying to build a unit of players who will work together. All the boys are geared up and ready to face the challenge,” he told The Nation. “I always look forward to a challenge and the players will be approaching the challenge with confidence. Some factors are missing but we are looking at things in the long term.”Shivnarine Chanderpaul, who will lead the side in the absence of Lara, was keen to put an equally upbeat spin on the situation. “I’m positive, we all are positive and once we play to our abilities – and all the guys are very talented – and once we can play to that and play better than South Africa we will win.”While attention has been on West Indies, South Africa have been going through their paces. Already without Shaun Pollock, who is still undergoing treatment on his injured ankle back home – Andrew Hall or Charl Langeveldt will replace him – they are also waiting on a late fitness Test on Jacques Kallis who is still troubled by the hip injury he picked up against Zimbabwe.”Kallis bowled the fastest in Tuesday morning’s training session,” explained Ray Jennings, South Africa’s coach. “We are interested to know if he can bowl between 15 and 20 overs a day for us. If the answer is yes, the compilation of the team will change.” Given Kallis’s apparent reluctance to bowl – except when confronted with Zimbabwe’s paper-thin middle order – the chances are that he will not be risked as a front-line bowler.West Indies (possible) 1 Devon Smith, 2 Wavell Hinds, 3 Daren Ganga, 4 Shivnarine Chanderpaul (capt), 5 Ryan Hinds, 6 Daren Powell, 7 Courtney Browne (wkt), 8 Dwight Washington, 9 Pedro Collins, 10 Corey Collymore, 11 Reon King.South Africa (probable): 1 Graeme Smith (capt), 2 AB de Villiers, 3 Jacques Rudolph, 4 Jacques Kallis, 5 Herschelle Gibbs, 6 Ashwell Prince, 7 Mark Boucher (wkt) , 8 Nicky Bojé, 9 Andrew Hall, 10 Makhaya Ntini, 11 Andre Nel.

Pakistan’s Younis Khan struck form with a magnificent 191 and Hasan Raza slammed an unbeaten 103 as Habib Bank went on a run-spree against Saga on day 1 of the third round of the Inter-Department Qualifying Tournament on Tuesday.In his 217-ball innings Younis struck 32 fours and two sixes while Hasan hit 13 boundaries in his 90-ball knock as the pair plundered 207 runs for the third wicket to help a struggling Habib Bank team to 426-5 off 80 overs. Saleem Elahi also chipped in with 80 (8×4, 135b).ZTBL’s Imran Abbas scored his third century in as many matches as his team (previously known as ADBP) first bowled out PAF for 72 and then finished the day at 242-4 from 57 overs. Imran was batting on 113 (11×4) at close of play. In themorning, the Air Force batting was decimated by Rao Iftikhar (6-36) and Mohammad Saddique (4-20).The other ‘forces’ teams – Army and Navy – also had a poor first day. Pak Army were bowled out for 83 by KRL when Yasir Arafat took 5-30. KRL, at stumps, were 252 for two in 59 overs with Mohammad Ramzan batting on 105.The Navy team was dismissed for 86 by PIA who had batted to 148-3 in 46 overs at close of play.Pakistan Test opener Mohammad Hafeez missed a century against PEB when he was out for 92 as Sui Gas finished the day at 234-1 in 43 overs in reply to the students 127. The gas utility’s Mohammad Irshad took 5-47.There were some other fine bowling performances on the first day.
Pak PWD’s Riaz Sheikh took 6-68 as Customs were dismissed for 245, Rizwan Akbar bagged 5-58 when POF were bowled out for 139 by ARL who finished at 81-4, HEC’s Sajid Aziz scooped up 5-52 to help rout KPT for 263, Abdul Rauf snapped up 5-51 as LEO International were shot out for 172 and PTCL’s Mohammad Khalil took 5-86 against Wapda who reached 275 in their first innings.Scores in brief (day 1 of 3):Pool A
At PCB Academy, Navy 86 (Nadeem Babar 27, Hammad Khan 24, Najaf Shah 4-13, Fazle Akbar 3-37, Saqlain Mushtaq 2-8) vs PIA 148-3 in 46 overs (Yasir Hameed 55*, Kamran Sajid 28, Imran Farhat 26, Faisal Iqbal 20).
At Asghar Ali Shah Stadium, Pakistan Customs 245 in 79.4 overs (Aamir Bashir 75 [7×4, 146b], Azhar Shafiq 68 [9×4, 113b], Riaz Sheikh 6-68) vs Pak PWD 18-0.Pool B
At Pindi Cricket Stadium, Wapda 275 in 82.4 overs (Hasan Adnan 73, Tariq Aziz 63, Mohammad Zaman 33*, Rizwan Malik 30, Mohammad Khalil 5-86, Mohammad Hussain 4-84) vs PTCL.
At Pindi Club Ground, Army 83 in 28.2 overs (Yasir Arafat 5-30) vs KRL 252-2 in 59 overs (Mohammad Ramzan 105*, Ali Naqvi 71, Saeed Anwar Jnr 65).
KRL Stadium, POF 139 in 46.1 overs (Imran Ali 41, Rizwan Akbar 5-58, Alamgir Khan 3-18) vs ARL 81-4 in 26 overs (Nauman Aman 35, Nadeem Ahmed 3-17).Pool C
At LCCA Ground, KPT 263 in 80 overs (Maisam Hasnain 81, Rashid Hanif 43, Farhan Iqbal 32*, Sajid Aziz 5-52, Shoaib Maqsood 3-83) vs HEC 1-0.
At Jinnah Ground Okara, Service Industries 230 in 80.1 overs (Rizwan Ahmed 55, Masood Asim 55, Farhan Asghar 30, Qaiser Abbas 4-25, Shabbir Ahmed 3-54) vs NBP.
At Bagh-e-Jinnah Lahore, PAF 72 (Rao Iftikhar 6-36, Mohammad Saddique 4-20) vs ZTBL 242-4 in 57 overs (Imran Abbas 113*, Atif Ashraf 86).Pool D
At Jinnah Stadium Gujranwala, LEO International 172 in 72.5 overs (Shoaib Nasir 63, Faisal Ashraf 51, Abdul Rauf 5-51, Arshad Khan 3-31) vs Allied Bank 21-0.
At Jinnah Stadium Sialkot, PEB 127 (Mohammad Irshad 5-47, Wasim Khan 2-48, Imran Tahir 2-4) vs Sui Gas 234-1 in 43 overs (Mohammad Hafeez 92 [16×4, 92b], Ali Hussain 81 not out, Sufiyan Munir 45*).
At Saga Ground Sialkot, Habib Bank 426-5 in 80 overs (Younis Khan 191 [32×4, 2×6, 217b], Hasan Raza 103 [13×4, 90b], Saleem Elahi 80 [8×4, 135b]) vs Saga.

Both the Auckland and Otago sides probably watched their State Shield one-day cricket hopes being washed down the drain at Eden Park Outer Oval today.The game started 30 minutes late under lowering skies, and was finished at 4.51pm when yet another dose of Auckland’s wet summer left the game as a damp no-result.This meant two points for both teams, which meant Otago went up to 12 points and Auckland to 10, still in the second half of the ladder and drifting further and further behind the three front-runners – and likely play-off teams – Wellington, Northern Districts and Canterbury.Otago would have every reason to be twice as annoyed by the sudden end, for they had had their best one-day innings of the season at 275 whereas Auckland had scored 67 for three wickets from 13.5 overs – and the odds were very much on an Otago win if the game had run its full course.Glenn Turner, the Otago coach, spoke before the game of the steady improvement of his team, especially when they realised that teamwork and consistent effort were essential assets of a successful team.Within an hour or so Turner’s men were showing they had learned their lessons. They lost Andrew Hore at 32 and Craig Cumming at 35 as Chris Drum and Tama Canning extracted some life and movement with the new ball.But from that point onward the Otago men settled comfortably and confidently into the Turner plan. Robbie Lawson, the slim opening batsman, showed amazing power, especially when he was driving, in his 49 from 88 balls.Lawson was involved in a 49-run stand for the third wicket with Chris Gaffaney, and then 42 for the fourth wicket with Craig Pryor.This carried Otago to 126 for four wickets after 28.5 overs, and to the critical point of the innings. Recently Otago have reached such a level of apparent comfort, but then let the chance of a big score slip away, and with it the winning initiative.This time Pryor, not averse to showing off his form to his old Auckland team-mates, and Lee Germon, relishing his first feel of batting confidence for the season, used the position to launch a winning effort.Between the 29th and 44th overs Pryor (91) and Germon (52) scored 104 for the fifth wicket in a little over an hour. It was magical batting, Pryor starting quietly, Germon opening with a flurry of boundaries. The first 50 of their stand came in 49 balls, the second 50 took only 34 balls.The Auckland bowlers took on the roles of spectators as Germon and Pryor kept the runs flooding in, with strong drives and clever use of the short side boundary on the Sandringham Road side of the ground.Germon was first to go at 230 for six, skying a catch from Brooke Walker which Terry Crabb caught. Germon had scored his 52 from 51 balls, with seven fours and had showed sparkling stroke play.Then it became a matter whether Pryor could race to his century as the overs, and partners, began to disappear. He was nine runs short with 13 balls to go when he launched into a quite magnificent slog-sweep at a ball from Drum.The ball went from the middle of the bat on a low, fast arc and it was a toss-up whether it would carry over the line for a six, or bounce away for a four. Instead Llorne Howell sprinted into the line of the ball and dived for a magnificent catch perhaps a half-metre from the ground.It was a marvellous catch, a fitting end, really, to Pryor’s superbly stylish innings which had five fours, four sixes and any number of classically designed drives.Amid the flow of runs Canning kept afloat with three wickets for 50, and Drum had a wicket at the start, middle and end of the innings at the very reasonable cost of 36 runs.The unlikely prospect of Auckland scoring 276 to win with the light likely to fade diminished further quite quickly. Matt Horne, Auckland’s star batsman this summer, was cleverly caught by Germon from James McMillan’s bowling before he had scored.Howell, a heavy scorer for Auckland in their last two games was second out at 48 after a hearty innings of 25. Crabb had become McMillan’s third victim (for 30 runs) when he was out at 54, and Auckland scrambled along to 67 before the rain had the final say.

Any hangover left over from defeat in the first Test match was blown away in the sea breeze at East London’s Buffalo Park on Saturday as Stephen Fleming’s New Zealand tourists rattled up 311 for four declared before grabbing three Border wickets in the early evening.Most pleasing for the Kiwis would have been the unbroken 141-run stand for the fifth wicket between Nathan Astle and Craig McMillan who helped themselves to 69 and 76 respectively and looked good for a century apiece before the declaration came.But New Zealand would also have found encouragement from the difficulties encountered by the home team when they went in to bat. Andrew Penn took two good fast bowler’s wicket and Brooke Walker produced the perfect leg break to take the outside edge as Steven Pope pushed forward for Craig Spearman to take the catch at slip.The good work achieved by New Zealand has to be balanced by the fact that Border were without their first-choice seam attack and although youngsters Monde Zondeki, Liam Graham and Matts Matomela bowled with enthusiasm they all have some way to go before they can compete at first-class level.Still, New Zealand’s job was to deal with the opposition at hand, and this they did with some aplomb. Mark Richardson and Spearman batted calmly throughout the morning and into the afternoon for an opening stand worth 98 before Richardson was unluckily run out at the bowler’s end when Graham deflected Spearman’s straight drive onto the stumps.He made 45, Spearman went on to make 56 before he was caught at slip and Mathew Fleming and Stephen Fleming both got themselves in and then got themselves out for 28 and 29 respectively.Then Astle and McMillan came together to tear the Border bowling apart in the hour after tea. Astle played straight, driving through the covers superbly and McMillan improvised, reverse sweeping the offspinner Geoff Love for four and uppercutting Matemola over third man for six.The declaration left Border with 12 overs before the close. Penn, in his first first-class game in South Africa, caught the shoulder of opener Craig Sugden’s bat and nightwatchman Love’s glove for two catches to Sinclair in the gully. Ian Mitchell played a couple of thumping drives, but then Walker took Pope’s wicket to finish off a very good for New Zealand.

Before pushing up to the Premier League, Leeds United’s transfer business has now been thankfully exposed to be full of many hits, rather than misses.

While Daniel Farke has reminded the Elland Road faithful that there is a “long road” ahead for survival, it cannot be understated how much of an influence the likes of Anton Stach have had on proceedings, with the summer signing from Hoffenheim’s delightful free-kick sealing a big 4-1 win over Crystal Palace last time out.

Additionally, Jaka Bijol has also finally arrived at the party in recent contests, after an initially wobbly start, winning a commanding 25 duels across December to date.

Still, it goes without saying at this point that Dominic Calvert-Lewin is the pick of the bunch when it comes to the influential recruits, with the free transfer of the ex-Everton marksman going down as an unbelievable steal.

The stats behind Calvert-Lewin's start at Leeds

Staggeringly, Calvert-Lewin is now the only player in Leeds’ history to score in each of his team’s five final league matches before Christmas, as the festive period has proven to be a fruitful time for the revitalised goalscorer.

Indeed, the often injury-prone 28-year-old has looked a man reborn in West Yorkshire, with seven Premier League goals now next to his name from just 15 appearances.

DCL’s PL form – 24/25 vs 25/26

Stat

24/25

25/26

Games played

26

15

Goals scored

3

7

Assists

1

0

Scoring frequency

543 mins

147 mins

Goal conversion %

6%

21%

Stats by Sofascore

It has been a very sharp turnaround in fortunes for Farke’s leading man, with the overjoyed German hailing him as an “unbelievable” player to work with, after his late equalising header against Brentford.

On the contrary, towards the end of his long-standing Everton spell, he was simply written off as a wasteful attacker well accustomed to the treatment room, with only three league strikes coming his way last season.

Now, however, he’s a number nine in a rich vein of form, with a goal coming his way in league action every 147 minutes. Moreover, he has been unbelievably effective in front of goal, with Calvert-Lewin only needing three shots in total to pick up a whirlwind double against the Eagles.

Therefore, it’s an argument that is hard to pick holes in when you state that Calvert-Lewin is Leeds’ best signing of the season. Yet, there is one figure who could be considered an even better signing than the Sheffield-born talisman.

Leeds star is a better signing than Calvert-Lewin

Leeds fans might well err on the side of caution when it comes to waxing too lyrical about their new favourite target-man, with Calvert-Lewin prone to barren patches of form, but also many recurring injury troubles.

The proof will soon be in the pudding if he can keep this up for a full Premier League season, with Ethan Ampadu, on the contrary, now three seasons down when it comes to delivering some top-drawer performances at Elland Road.

Farke’s top five most-used Leeds players

Player

Games

Goals + Assists

1. Joe Rodon

115

3 + 0

2. Joel Piroe

107

33 + 10

3. Ethan Ampadu

101

3 + 2

4. Wilfried Gnonto

100

18 + 12

5. Daniel James

94

25 + 17

Sourced by Transfermarkt

The table above reinforces how crucial Ampadu has been as one of Farke’s main heartbeats in West Yorkshire, with the Welshman now up to 101 games and counting under the German’s long-standing Whites tenure.

While he doesn’t boast anywhere near the same levels of output as Calvert-Lewin, Ampadu has still more than played his part in Leeds’ recent successes, with the £7m once splashed out on his services immediately justified last season, as his 16 clean sheets as a rock-solid midfield anchor helped Leeds return to the Premier League as emphatic champions.

He has also worn the captain’s armband with heaps of passion and bravery since pushing Leeds up to the top-flight, with the goal instinctively fired home by the ex-Chelsea youngster against Palace, capping off a tremendous all-round display, with a mighty 11 tackles and duels also won. Without this steel week in week out, Calvert-Lewin’s goals might ultimately count for nothing.

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Farke has rightly recognised how crucial of a glue Ampadu has been for his side over recent seasons, by noting in the build-up to the Sunderland contest to come that he is “one of the best midfielders in the league”, for how well-rounded and lively he is, with the ex-Norwich City boss also lauding him as a “cornerstone” centrally.

Of course, Calvert-Lewin’s contributions in recent matches have been more obvious, as goals are what catch the eye.

But, Ampadu has also been sensational to watch across Leeds’ December upturn in results, with the 25-year-old keen to secure survival for his beloved side, to not only strengthen his label as a favourite amongst supporters, but also in his manager’s good books.

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Posts 1 ByKelan Sarson