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Sky Sports pundit Micah Richards has heaped praise on a West Ham United star who has been proving "everyone" wrong lately.

What is the latest West Ham news?

David Moyes and his Hammers side travel to Anfield on Sunday with a lot of optimism; having started this new Premier League season with real aplomb.

Indeed, the east Londoners have tasted victory in three out of their opening five top flight matches; clinching impressive wins over high-flying Brighton, big-spenders Chelsea and league newcomers Luton Town.

It took European champions Man City to end West Ham's early-season unbeaten streak last weekend, as goals from Jeremy Doku, Bernardo Silva and Erling Haaland cancelled out James Ward-Prowse's opener at the London Stadium.

Moyes' men also opened their Europa League account with a 3-1 win over Serbian super league side Backa Topola in midweek, sealing the three points despite an early second-half scare.

There couldn't be any better time to take on Liverpool in Merseyside, but West Ham may tread with caution, as Jurgen Klopp's Reds are in a similar run of form.

West Ham player ratings 2023/2024

There have been a few standout performers for West Ham so far this term; namely the likes of Ward-Prowse, Edson Alvarez and Michail Antonio among others.

However, one player to have thoroughly impressed former Man City defender and popular Sky pundit Richards is none other than Ward-Prowse.

The former Southampton star, who made the move to West Ham from St. Mary's Stadium in mid-August, has got off to an absolute flyer in Claret and Blue.

Indeed, the 28-year-old was very unlucky to miss out on a place in England's squad during the most recent international break, with former Spurs defender Michael Dawson suggesting it was an unfair decision.

Ward-Prowse has bagged two goals and a further three assists in just four league games so far; standing out as their best-performing player per 90 according to WhoScored.

The Englishman also racked up another two assists in midweek against Topola; curling in whipped deliveries from corners for both Mohammed Kudus and Tomas Soucek to head home.

Now, Richards has told The Rest is Football Podcast that he has been vindicated in his long-time praise of the Ward-Prowse.

“I’ve banged on about Ward-Prowse now for so long and nobody was taking me seriously," said the Sky pundit, as transcribed by TBR.

"I was literally saying, he’s in a struggling team that don’t have a style of play and once he goes somewhere where he can express himself more, he’s got more than just taking free-kicks. He’s a comfortable footballer.

“When he’s played for England he’s not really took his chance so everyone sort of questions is he good enough for the highest level. But he is. He’s an amazing player. And he works hard, he can sit deep, also play further forward. I just love him. He’s been my signing of the season so far.”

How good is James Ward-Prowse?

This isn't the only high praise Ward-Prowse has received, with former Southampton manager Nathan Jones saying this last season:

"He’s been absolutely world-class for me. The way he reacted and the performances you’re seeing now, it’s really motivated and driven.”

“He’s vital, I like to get to know my captains and have a real relationship with them, a real personal relationship so they understand decisions we make."

The former Australia captain, however, said he was shocked by the ball-tampering scandal in Cape Town, and that the penalties handed out by Cricket Australia were necessary

ESPNcricinfo staff05-Apr-2018The ball-tampering scandal in Cape Town is being seen as much more than just that. Australia’s team culture has come under the scanner, with suggestions that such a fall was inevitable in a win-at-all-costs side. Outgoing Australia coach Darren Lehmann even said New Zealand might be a good example to follow for on-field behaviour, and Cricket Australia ordered an independent review into the team culture.However, former Australia captain and a possible candidate for the role of coach, Ricky Ponting, believes the talk about the team culture is out of proportion.Ponting, currently in India as head coach of IPL franchise Delhi Daredevils, addressed the issue for the first time at a press conference on Thursday. Ponting expressed shock at the events in Cape Town, and said the reaction from Cricket Australia was befitting. However, he didn’t necessarily feel the team culture had deteriorated drastically.”The cultural issue for me is really an interesting thing because if we wind the clock back to just a couple of months, when Australia won the Ashes like they did, there was no talk about cultural problems or issues whatsoever,” Ponting said. “I honestly feel on this occasion the cultural stuff that’s been spoken about has probably been blown out of proportion to a certain degree.”Ponting, however, did not play down what a big disappointment the ball-tampering incident was for him and the rest of Australia. “As a past player and past captain, I was quite shocked to see what actually took place out on the field,” he said. “The pleasing thing for me is that now it seems the issue is starting to come to an end. We hear this morning that David Warner also accepted his sanction, means all three guys have accepted the sanctions before them.”Ponting said the country was jolted by what they saw. “Look, when I was back at home a week and half ago, if you think it was big news over here, it was astronomical how big the issue was in Australia, and rightly so,” he said. “As Australians, we like to play the game hard, we like to play the game fair. Our fans expect the Australian player to play that way. I think the reaction back in Australia was as big as it was because the Australian public felt the Australian players had not played the game in a fair way.”It seems it’s like coming to an end, it’s a good thing for the game’s sake, it’s a good thing for the player’s sake as well, that they can try and get away from it all now. As hard as that’s going to be for them, it’s also a good thing for cricket in Australia as well. Now that the Test series is over, the guys have got a few weeks to get away from it all and then start rebuilding what has sort of collapsed for them over the last couple of weeks.”When asked how he would have reacted to the incident if he had been in a position to act, Ponting said it would be unfair for him to say, but did acknowledge that Cricket Australia’s sanctions were pretty much necessary.”There’s a very big picture there for the world game’s sake, and Cricket Australia, I think, have reacted to what the world game pretty much demanded,” he said. “The world game and the Australian public demanded that these players were dealt with and treated in a certain way.”Now it would appear that 12-month bans would appear to be a very severe ban. If you go back to what the ICC sanction was: one-game ban for Smith and nothing for the other two. You can understand the gap is vast between what the ICC deemed fair [and what CA handed out]. I wouldn’t comment on what I would have done. It would be unfair.”

Celtic have seen a number of talented players pass through their academy system over the years and have several graduates in their current first-team set-up.

Callum McGregor is the club captain, having come through the youth sides at Parkhead, and is a regular starter in central midfield for Brendan Rodgers, whilst Anthony Ralston and Stephen Walsh have also emerged as squad options for the Scottish giants in recent years.

Celtic's most valuable former academy players:

Aaron Hickey

£21.5m

Kieran Tierney

£21.5m

Callum McGregor

£7.3m

Jack Hendry

£2.5m

Ben Doak

£2.5m

Their success with youth players is not a new thing for the Hoops, however, as they have been able to bring through talented prospects for many, many, years.

One young prodigy who the club ended up striking gold with was winger Aiden McGeady as he enjoyed a terrific time with the Bhoys after making the breakthrough at senior level.

Who gave McGeady his Celtic debut?

Former Celtic head coach Martin O'Neill handed the teenage forward his first-team bow towards the end of the 2003/04 campaign and placed his faith in the talented youngster.

The Northern Irish boss had clearly seen enough from the skillful whiz in training and in academy matches to suggest that he would be able to make the step up to playing professional football and was proven to be right.

McGeady scored one goal in four Scottish Premiership appearances at the end of that season as he burst onto the scene and showcased his potential to be a star for the club.

How many appearances did McGeady make for Celtic?

The Ireland international went on to play 223 matches for the Hoops in all competitions after the exciting wizard managed to establish himself as a first-team regular.

He scored nine goals and assisted eight across 49 Premiership games across the 2005/06 and 2006/07 campaigns, to go along with zero goal contributions in six Champions League clashes.

These statistics show that the Irish winger was a semi-regular contributor at the top end of the pitch throughout his first two full seasons as a senior option for the Scottish giants.

McGeady then caught the eye with a stunning return of seven goals and 17 assists in 36 Premiership outings during the 2007/08 term, which means that he was directly involved in a goal every 1.5 matches on average.

The assist machine also scored his first Champions League goal and registered two assists in eight appearances in Europe's premier cup competition that season.

His form, unfortunately, dipped during the following campaign as McGeady only contributed with three goals and six assists in 29 Premiership games, which may have been a concern at the time as there was no guarantee that he would be able to get back to his previous levels.

However, the academy graduate followed that up with an outstanding seven goals and 14 assists in 35 league matches throughout the 2009/10 season, which is an average of one goal involvement every 1.67 outings.

In total, McGeady produced 35 goals and 48 assists in all competitions for Celtic after coming through the academy system under O'Neill.

He showcased his ability to make a huge impact at the top end of the pitch on a regular basis as a match-winner and game-changer for the Scottish giants and the former Hoops boss deserves great credit for unearthing him.

Placing faith in an academy player to come into the senior team takes courage from a manager and in different circumstances McGeady may have ended up moving on after not being given an opportunity by a different head coach, which is why O'Neill deserves plaudits for his work with the Irish ace.

How much did Celtic sell McGeady for?

The Bhoys eventually opted to cash in on the talented maestro in the summer of 2010 for a club-record £9.5m fee to Russian outfit Spartak Moscow.

In fact, that transfer made him the most expensive sale in the history of Scottish football at the time, which is a record currently held by former Celtic stars Kieran Tierney and Jota – who both departed for reported fees of £25m to Arsenal and Al Ittihad respectively.

This shows that O'Neill hit the jackpot for Celtic with McGeady as he played a critical role in turning a player who cost the club £0, as he came through their academy system, into the most expensive player in the club's history in 2010.

Neil Lennon, who was the manager of the Hoops at the time of the sale, hailed McGeady as one of the game's "entertainers" and he was one of the greats in that respect, which is backed up by the fact that the talented magician has his own skill move 'the McGeady spin' named after him.

Where is McGeady now?

The 37-year-old winger currently plays for Ayr United in the second tier of Scottish football after enjoying a strong career in Russia and England before his return to Scotland.

McGeady racked up 13 goals and 28 assists in 93 games for Spartak and earned himself a transfer to Premier League side Everton in 2013.

His time with the Toffees did not go to plan, as he scored once in 43 matches, but the creative maestro ended up with Sunderland, where he was able to thrive.

The experienced forward produced 36 goals and 35 assists in 150 appearances for the Black Cats during his spell at the Stadium of Light before his move back to Scottish football with Hibernian in the summer of 2022.

McGeady, who also scored five goals in 92 games for Ireland at senior level, was never able to replicate his outstanding 17-assist league season for Celtic but did manage 14 assists for Sunderland during the 2020/21 League One campaign.

Overall, there is little doubt that the Hoops played a blinder with the Irish hotshot as they raked in a club-record fee and benefitted from his terrific performances on the pitch for a number of years after unearthing him from the academy set-up for £0.

Rodgers will now be hoping that the next McGeady is currently in the youth team and on the verge of being ready to make their first-team breakthrough over the years to come.

There were several changes to the squad that was beaten by Sri Lanka in February, notably the returns of fast bowler Taskin Ahmed and offspinner Mehidy Hasan

Mohammad Isam26-Feb-2018Shakib Al Hasan will be back to captain Bangladesh in the Nidahas Trophy, the T20I tri-series against India and Sri Lanka in Colombo. However, the BCB president Nazmul Hassan indicated that he might be available for only “one or two” matches as he continues to recover from a finger injury.There were several changes to the squad that was beaten by Sri Lanka in February, notably the return of fast bowler Taskin Ahmed and offspinner Mehidy Hasan. Those missing out were Zakir Hasan, Afif Hossain, Mohammad Mithun, Mahedi Hasan and Mohammad Saifuddin.Chief selector Minhajul Abedin said the decision to try out youngsters was in line with preparing a strong group for the next World T20. “We are still not up to the mark in T20s. We want to prepare an 18-member pool for the 2020 World T20s, which is why we picked some of them in the home series [earlier this month] after they did well in the BPL.”Among the more debatable picks was Imrul Kayes, who averages 9.15 in 14 T20Is over eight years. Minhajul justified the selection by citing the importance of having an experienced batsman in conditions “where fast bowlers will be a dominating factor.””Imrul has been included as the third opener because we were considering batsmen who are good against fast bowling. He opens for us in Tests. India has a lot of good fast bowlers. We have gone for an experienced player because we had a bad series against Sri Lanka.”Minhajul also had to face a number of questions on Sabbir Rahman’s selection among others. Sabbir has had a wretched recent run, managing scores of 10, 2, 0, 1 and 1 in his last five international outings. “He has the most runs in T20s in the last year,” Minhajul said. “He has the experience. We have considered him because we are playing against two experienced sides away from home. I am hopeful because he was also picked in the PSL.”Minhajul also clarified that Taskin’s selection was largely Shakib’s call as he insisted on having an out-and-out fast bowler owing to conditions at R Premadasa Stadium.”The captain said that since we are playing in Premadasa where the ground is large and we need someone quick, we picked Taskin Ahmed who has the ability to bowl yorkers and bouncers,” he said. “Among all the fast bowlers in Bangladesh, Taskin is the fastest. The team management has a plan for him.”Meanwhile, Mashrafe Mortaza wasn’t considered despite a plea by the BCB to reconsider his T20 retirement. “I told him personally to play in the previous series but he didn’t show any interest,” Hassan said. “This time we sent him word and he must have heard it in the media. As far as I know, he has turned us down again.”Bangladesh squad Shakib Al Hasan (capt), Mahmudullah, Tamim Iqbal, Soumya Sarkar, Imrul Kayes, Mushfiqur Rahim (wk), Sabbir Rahman, Mustafizur Rahman, Rubel Hossain, Taskin Ahmed, Abu Hider, Abu Jayed, Ariful Haque, Nazmul Islam, Nurul Hasan, Mehidy Hasan

When West Ham United lifted the Europa Conference League trophy in June, the euphoria of a momentous occasion was tinged with a hint of poignancy, with the begrudging acceptance that coveted midfielder Declan Rice had made his swansong.

It was the culmination of several years of hard work, with David Moyes' appointment at the 2019/20 campaign's midpoint resulting in a rise from the bottom half of the Premier League, fighting for survival, to successive Europen endeavours, with a third now forthcoming.

Rice's eventual sale was inevitable, the England international is regarded in the top stratosphere of talents across Europe and earned a transfer to high-flying Arsenal for £105m in July, joining last season's title challengers and earning a spot in this year's Champions League.

Mohammed Kudus

£38m

Edson Alvarez

£35m

James Ward-Prowse

£30m

Konstantinos Mavropanos

£17m

Sean Moore

N/A

All fees sourced via Sky Sports.

Hailed as the "midfield general" by talent scout Jacek Kulig, the 24-year-old has gone from strength to strength and is rated as the second-most valuable central midfielder in the world by Football Transfers, behind only prodigious compatriot Jude Bellingham.

Not easily replaced by any stretch of the imagination, Moyes has spread his presence across the midfield and made a range of impressive acquisitions, but the Hammers could have the next version of their academy talent currently rising to the fore in 18-year-old Kaelan Casey.

Who is Kaelan Casey?

After enjoying something of an emergence last season with West Ham's development squad, Casey wedged his way into Moyes' first-team reckoning and made his senior debut against FCSB in the Europa Conference League group phase, also making the bench against Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League.

Remarked to be among a youth cluster “other clubs are envious of” by the Athletic's Roshane Thomas, Casey is an experienced member of the academy movement in east London, chalking up 69 displays to date.

A 'battling and imposing centre-half' – as stated on the official club profile when the teenager signed a new long-term deal last month – Casey has been an Iron since he was five and started all six fixtures as the U18s won the FA Youth Cup last May.

There are some striking similarities to Casey and his now-departed peer Rice, and as such, could the Hammers be on for their latest version of the distinguished England phenom?

Is Kaelen Casey similar to Declan Rice?

This season, in Premier League 2, Casey has captained the Irons development squad to three successive victories, scoring in a 5-2 rout over Leeds United, after losing to Arsenal in the opening match.

A hulking defender, the 6 foot 3 Casey cites Rice as his role model and given that he is naturally a centre-back but can also prosper in midfield.

“He’s always been a defender,” his father revealed to the Athletic. “But he can play as a centre midfielder if need be."

Given that Rice captained West Ham's youth side in the year preceding his emergence to the first team as a teenager and also originally plied his trade from central defence, it really looks like the Hammers can guide a ready-made replica to prominence over the next few years.

While it's often a fool's game to prematurely wax lyrical over rising starlets, there is cause for excitement at the London Stadium and while it is important to nurture Casey at an apt pace, his skills are evident and the current campaign could be a real breakthrough term for him, perhaps the start of an ascent reminiscent of Rice's.

There's rarely a dull moment in the transfer window for Chelsea these days, with their place as one of the Premier League's busiest clubs unlikely to go away any time soon.

The Blues endured a campaign to forget last season, despite spending a reported £600m, and have attempted to solve their problems by splashing the cash once more this summer, with plenty of departures along the way, too.

So far, however, things haven't exactly gone perfectly to plan, with Mauricio Pochettino's side drawing against Liverpool, losing against West Ham United, and beating Luton Town.

What's the latest Chelsea transfer news?

Bidding farewell to a total of 20 players this summer, Chelsea have been absolutely ruthless, and wasted no time in finding replacements, spending an absurd amount of money yet again. You can see just how much money they have spent, and just how many reinforcements they have welcomed this summer below, per Transfermarkt:

Player

Fee

Moises Caicedo

€116m (£100m)

Romeo Lavia

€62m (£53m)

Christopher Nkunku

€60m (£52m)

Axel Disasi

€45m (£39m)

Nicolas Jackson

€37m (£32m)

Lesley Ugochukwu

€27m (£23m)

Robert Sanchez

€23m (£20m)

Djordje Petrovic

€16m (£14m)

Deivid Washington

€16m (£14m)

Angelo

€15m (£13m)

Total

€417m (£358m)

As you can see, the Blues have not hesitated to spend big this season, and what may worry the rest of the Premier League is the suggestion that their business is still yet to end.

According to Fabrizio Romano, Chelsea have now added Manchester City's Cole Palmer to their list of targets, as they look to welcome one final addition. The Blues are reportedly set to open talks with the Manchester club soon, and see Palmer as their best solution in attack.

"Chelsea add Cole Palmer to list of talented offensive players being considered for final addition! Chelsea are set to open talks soon as they see Palmer as best solution. It remains to be seen Man City position on Palmer but Chelsea really want him."

The transfer expert has since added that an agreement has been reached worth around £45m.

"Cole Palmer to Chelsea, here we go! Agreement in principle reached with Manchester City on £40m deal plus £5m add-ons Exclusive news revealed earlier today then quick resolution between clubs and green light from Palmer. Medical tests to be booked soon."

How good is Cole Palmer?

After his goals in both the Community Shield and the Super Cup, it's no surprise that Palmer is attracting interest. The winger has shown the potential to become the next best thing at Manchester City, though, and it remains to be seen whether the Premier League champions would sanction a deal this summer.

The statistics only further prove just how good the 21-year-old is, too. According to FBref, Palmer is in the top 92 percentile for shot-creating actions, with 3.85 per 90, whilst also maintaining a place in the top 99 percentile for progressive carries per 90, successful take-ons per 90, and progressive passes per 90. Every way you look at it, he looks destined to become a star.

Read the latest Chelsea transfer news HERE…

During his time at Manchester City, the winger has earned plenty of praise, including from club legend Paul Dickov, who previously said, via Manchester Evening News after Palmer scored against Swindon Town:

"I don’t care what the competition is or who the opposition is – that was just a world-class finish.

"And Cole deserved it as he was outstanding all night.

"He has created the first goal and was involved in everything that was good and positive about Manchester City."

India’s captain hopes his team can take inspiration from past deeds at the Bullring, particularly the Test match they dominated for large periods on their 2013-14 tour of South Africa

Sidharth Monga in Johannesburg23-Jan-2018The Wanderers, intimidating when full with its Bullring feel, can be an intimate place when empty. The team bus brings players right up to the back entrance of their dressing rooms. The front balcony looks out onto a grass bank, and then the field of play. From behind the balcony they can walk to the nets. The press conference room is just around the corner.This is where, in December 2013, in India’s first Test without Sachin Tendulkar, Virat Kohli sat, having scored a century on day one of the series, aware of the presence of South Africa bowling coach Allan Donald in the room as he waited for Kohli’s press conference to finish. Kohli drove the knife in, mocking a caption the host broadcaster had used for an analysis package, calling the South Africa bowlers non-threatening.This time, though, Kohli the captain comes in fighting to avoid a whitewash. After a particularly scrappy press conference in the aftermath of the defeat in Centurion, Kohli was subdued in his answers. Make no mistake, he will be just as feisty on the field, and will look at the last Wanderers Test for inspiration.”Definitely the things that worked for us last time we’ll focus on that,” Kohli said. “Although there is more grass on the wicket this time. The pace and bounce will probably be similar to what it was in 2013 also. Their bowling attack is slightly different but [Morne] Morkel and [Vernon] Philander are playing, which was the case last time also. Look we have to take the positives from that Test, what worked for us, what other things we have to repeat again to be able to perform in this game or this venue.”Yeah, we’d love to have another situation where we can capitalise and this time around actually consolidate on it and bring the Test towards us rather than let it slip away again. As a team, we are looking to correct all the mistakes that have happened. Wanderers has been a special venue for us, hopefully we can play the same kind of cricket.”India won the World T20 final here in 2007, and are yet to lose a Test in Johannesburg. They had a day and a half to win the last Test in, but couldn’t finish the job. “It was a very exciting Test for everyone to be involved in,” Kohli said. “For both the teams as well as the crowd, the last day being a really see-saw day. We came back sometimes, then we thought we were going to lose, and then it ended up being a draw. Yeah it was a very memorable Test match for me personally and for us as a team. Because we gave South Africa a total and forced them to play their best cricket to go for it.”I always love playing at this stadium, it’s a great vibe, I feel really good when I walk into this ground. The last time’s Test match was very special and hopefully we can have as exciting a cricket as we had last time this time too.”How nice the vibe would have felt had Kohli come here with the series alive. His coach Ravi Shastri said better preparation would have helped the side, but Kohli insisted preparation was not an issue. Asked if he was going to follow up on what Shastri said and make sure the mistake is not repeated on future tours, Kohli said: “I personally don’t feel that we didn’t feel prepared starting this series. I won’t sit here and point that out after losing a Test series. We had a week to prepare ourselves, five days because one day we were travelling. So we had that, and we went ahead with that.”We are not going to sit and think of outside factors that made us lose. It was our errors, our mistakes of not capitalising on situations that led us to the result being 2-0 so far. I am not pinpointing anything else, I think those talks are left for later planning for future.”One of the errors, Kohli said, was the batting, and that every batsman has been working on it. “Everyone has been spoken to individually,” Kohli said. “The discussions have happened as to what went wrong, what happened, why it happened and the guys have taken it well. And as I said, any time you step on to the field, you have an opportunity to correct your mistakes, and that’s how you progress at the international level. I am sure everyone is looking forward to rectifying those mistakes, and then if they are in the same positions, consolidating those positions.”Kohli also said the fielding needed to improve. “They have fielded better than us and it’s visible and not a question of having numbers attached to it,” Kohli said. “That is something we definitely need to step up because fielding I feel is a bit of a controllable on the field. It depends on an individual’s attitude. Batting, I would still say, there’s always a bowler involved who has his skills as well and same for a bowler up against a batsman.”From the batting point of view, I’ve mentioned it’s a personal responsibility and from the fielding point of view, it’s just a mindset of wanting to make a difference for the team every ball that you are standing on the park. Definitely these two things we have to take into consideration going into this Test match.”

The Ashes may have gone and the possibility of a second successive whitewash is growing but the game in England and Wales is “in extremely good shape” according to the ECB’s chief executive

George Dobell23-Dec-2017The Ashes may have gone and the possibility of a second successive whitewash is growing but the game in England and Wales is “in extremely good shape” according to the ECB’s chief executive, Tom Harrison.While accepting the Ashes result was “disappointing”, Harrison believes that progress made elsewhere showed the ECB was doing good work. As a result, he said there would be no “knee-jerk reactions” to England’s defeat and suggested the positions of the coaching staff were quite safe.London Stadium decision expected in 2018

Tom Harrison has said the ECB is open to using the London Stadium – built for the 2012 Olympics and currently used by Premier League football club West Ham – as a venue for the 2019 World Cup. A test event is expected to be held next summer, to ascertain the viability of drop-in pitches at the ground.
“We’d very much like it to be used but the cricket has to be right,” Harrison said. “These are World Cup fixtures. The drop-in wickets are being grown. We’re at pains to ensure the cricket element has to be nailed. So we’ll run a proper test event at the end of the football season, which will enable us to mitigate some of the risk inherent in laying turf, dropping in wickets and floodlights. At some point in 2018, we’ll make a final decision.”

In particular, Harrison was encouraged by attendance figures, the success of the women’s team at the World Cup, the launch of the All Stars Cricket scheme and changes to the way the ECB is run.And while it seems doubtful many England supporters will be consoling themselves with the thought that the governance structure of the game has been altered – referred to by Harrison as “an exciting moment as it means the quality of decisions we make will be in the context of the future of the whole game” – the improved performance of the white-ball sides might provide more realistic grounds for encouragement.”The health of the game is more than just Ashes series overseas,” Harrison said. “We’ve had record-breaking attendances in domestic and international cricket, changed our governance structure, hosted two global events, won the women’s World Cup and launched a participation initiative for kids. We’ve had a successful entry into the broadcast rights market out of which we have secured the financial future of the game until 2024.”It’s a shame this series hasn’t gone our way but there’s more to play for over the course of the winter. It’s also important to remember that in every one of the three games England have been in a position where things could have worked out differently. We just haven’t managed to turn the screw in those moments. But we’ve remained pretty competitive even in Australian conditions.”We have a plan and we’re making progress on that plan. We’re in the middle of an Ashes series where England have been very competitive for large parts. What it has shown is that Test cricket is the ultimate form of the game, where those marginal periods of play can turn a game and we haven’t been able to do it.”We are in a process of delivering cricket across three formats. They’re making huge strides across the white-ball game, up to a place where we’re winning 70% or so of our white-ball matches – the ODI side in particular – and the T20 side is making good progress.”In Tests we’re finding it very difficult to win overseas. We did win a series in South Africa, which is a significant achievement, but we’ve found it difficult in Dubai, India and here. We’ve got to take a look at that. There are the moments you understand the progress that’s been made and it’s very difficult to look at it through the mirror of three matches over the course of a difficult Ashes series.”Tom Harrison•Getty ImagesHarrison did concede that the ECB had been “striving to find the answer” to England’s apparent deficit of pace bowling but expressed his belief in the performance centre at Loughborough. Instead, he felt there should be an emphasis on providing more sympathetic pitches for pace bowlers but insisted “this isn’t an alarm-bell situation”.”We’ve a fast bowling programme at Loughborough, which offers excellent results for the guys who go through it,” Harrison said. “The work we’re doing at Loughborough is there. The talent is there. You’ve seen George Garton, Mark Foottitt and Mark Wood. They’re all at that level. But for one reason for another, they’re not coming through. Whether due to injury or consistency. But this isn’t an alarm-bell situation.”These are the situations you can find yourselves in overseas. Sometimes you require different skill sets to the ones you can acquire in your own conditions. We have to look at that and wicket structures. There are questions about whether our wickets reward extra pace and how we can arrive in place with the right firepower to compete.”We have to be careful not to overreact half way through an Ashes series. We can all understand there’s some frustration and we haven’t been able to close those matches out. Now is not the moment to be overreacting. There will be no review. This is not the moment for knee-jerk reactions or rash decisions about what we do from here in respect of performance.”

Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag will be hoping that the last week of the summer transfer window is productive as he really needs to bring in another one or two fresh faces.

There have been just three summer arrivals thus far in Manchester and if the Dutchman holds any ambition of fighting on both domestic and European fronts, depth is needed.

With this in mind, the Red Devils have shown interest in a Paris Saint-Germain midfielder recently and given how little time the manager has to work with, could he secure his services before the end of next week?

Are Manchester United going to make more signings?

Marco Verratti is a name that has cropped up recently, according to French outlet L’Equipe (as relayed by Get Football News France), with United are keen on luring him to the Premier League.

The Italy international is looking likely to leave the French capital this summer following an 11-year stint at PSG and this could tempt Ten Hag into making a swoop.

Read the latest Man United transfer news HERE…

According to FootballTransfers, Verratti is currently valued at €31.1m (£27m) and given that he has a contract until 2026, the Dutchman may have to shell out slightly more to secure his signature before deadline day.

What could Marco Verratti offer Manchester United?

Along with adding some new faces to his squad, Ten Hag has also been busy in having a clear-out.

Among his most high-profile departures are Anthony Elanga, David De Gea, Alex Telles and Fred, freeing up some room in the wage budget in the process.

Moving on the Brazilian midfielder could perhaps be the best bit of business the manager does this summer.

Although they couldn’t quite recoup the £52m they shelled out on him five years ago, it was evident that he didn’t quite have a future under the Dutchman as he failed to impose himself in the squad last term.

Fred started just 12 games in the Premier League while ranking in a lowly 18th place across the squad for overall Sofascore rating, suggesting that even when he did get a chance, he failed to impress.

United could forget all about Fred with the signing of Verratti, and he has emerged as one of the finest midfielders of his generation over the previous decade.

Indeed, throughout the previous 12 months, the 30-year-old machine ranks in the top 1% when compared to positional peers for pass completion percentage per 90 (92.5%) while also ranking in the top 6% for progressive passes (9.87) and tackles (3.2) per 90, indicating that not only would he be able to dictate the play wonderfully in Ten Hag’s side, but his tenacious nature would allow him to win the ball back often.

Mauricio Pochettino, his former coach at PSG, hailed the midfielder previously, saying:

"He is a player with a very good ability to read the game. He allows for us each time to have attacking possession and to bring the ball out into good situations, to better start off attacks. In attacking phases, he can double his efforts and provoke situations going forward. For me, he is a truly great player."

High praise indeed, so Ten Hag must act fast in order to bring him to Manchester, and it will allow him to move on from Fred in the process.

Craig Overton came away with a massive bruise on his chest as a mark of his impressive efforts on debut but knows he needs to condition himself to the demands of Test cricket

George Dobell07-Dec-2017Craig Overton admitted he had never experienced a short-ball barrage like it but, despite the match result and a huge bruise, insisted his Test debut had been “good fun.”Amid the rubble of another disappointing England performance, Overton enjoyed an impressive debut. As well as claiming four wickets – including that of Steven Smith – Overton top-scored in England’s first-innings with a gutsy 41 not out and took a fine, diving catch at fine-leg. It was a display that impressed the England management and left Trevor Bayliss purring about “the fire in the belly” of his new recruit.While Overton was picked primarily as a seamer, it was arguably his batting that impressed most. Despite having been dismissed for a duck every time he batted in the warm-up games, Overton withstood a sustained spell of short-pitched bowling as well as anyone in England’s first innings and showed both courage and technique in adding 66 runs for the eighth wicket with Chris Woakes.It was a contribution that might well have convinced Smith not to enforce the follow-on and could have helped drag England back into the match. And it contrasted with the contribution made by Jake Ball, who was dismissed by short balls in both innings of the first Test and was the man replaced by Overton for the second Test.”I’ve probably not been peppered like that in first-class cricket before,” Overton said. “You might come up against one fast bowler in each side in a county game, but to have three like that is tough work.”But you have to expect that in Australia. I knew what I was getting into going out to bat in the middle. You could tell from the field; especially when Pat Cummins came around the wicket at me. I was pretty much waiting for it.”I think you have to enjoy it. It was good fun and I felt like I played it pretty well.”The one time he did not play it well cost him. Ducking into a good-length delivery from Cummins in the second innings, Overton saw the ball evade his chest-guard and take him on the rib cage. While he admits the blow remains “a bit sore and a bit bruised” he does not seem overly concerned that it could threaten his involvement in the third Test in Perth.”He [Cummins] didn’t say anything,” Overton said. “If you are hit in the chest you know it’s not going to kill you. It might give you a broken bone, but it’s not life threatening. It’s a bit different when you get hit on the head. That’s when you become worried.”Most of the Australia team are good lads and came up to make sure I was all right after I was hit. On the pitch they like to create a bit of a bubble and say a few words. But off the pitch they seem like pretty good lads.”I haven’t had a scan or anything. We think it’s just bruising. We are not too worried.””It’ll take more than that to slow him down,” Bayliss said with obvious admiration. “He’s a big fella. He’s not complaining.”While Bayliss and co. clearly like Overton’s spirit, they would also dearly love him to have an extra yard of pace. But while he will never be an outright quick bowler (unlike his twin brother, Jamie, who is recovering well from a stress fracture and is expected to bowl at the England players in the nets ahead of the Melbourne Test), they are hopeful he can sustain his pace for longer as he adjusts to the workloads required in Test cricket. He bowled 33 overs in the first innings in Adelaide – more than he had ever bowled in a first-class innings – and admits he will have “to get used to” such stints.”It is not common to field for 150 overs in first-class cricket back home,” Overton said. “And to bowl that amount of overs was a challenge. But it’s one I have to get used to.”I know I’m not the quickest – I am the first to admit that – so for me it’s all about control and little variations. The bad balls are going to be put away. It’s all about doing the basics right.”He will, at least, have a break this weekend. With only Moeen Ali, who has been out of sorts with the ball in the series so far, of the Test XI required to play in the two-day warm-up match in Richardson Park, Overton and the rest will be encouraged to take a complete break from the game. To that end, the midnight curfew – recently introduced as a result of Butt-gate – will be relaxed for a night or two.