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Season to begin on December 7 and conclude on January 24 to fit in with Australia’s home Tests

Alex Malcolm05-Jul-2023

The BBL is set for one of the earliest starts and earliest finishes in competition history with the 13th edition of the tournament set to run from December 7 to January 24 and could allow overseas players to stay for the majority of the season, after issues with retaining talent last year.Australia’s men’s home international schedule is the main reason why the tournament will start so early in December and finish on a Wednesday in late January, four days before the school holidays end on January 28.Australia play their first Test of the home summer against Pakistan in Perth from December 14 to 18. The BBL starts with seven primetime games in seven days from December 7 to December 13 but will pause completely for the Perth Test before recommencing on December 19.Australia are also scheduled to play a day-night Test against West Indies in Brisbane starting on January 25. The BBL opted to move the season forward to avoid the finals clashing with that match.Related

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A benefit of the earlier season means that overseas players may be able to participate in more of the tournament. Last season, which was the first after the BBL had introduced an overseas draft, began on December 13 and ran until February 4.But with the South Africa T20 and ILT20 starting on January 11 and 14 respectively last year, and offering far larger salaries to overseas players, the BBL saw a mass exodus of their marquee overseas draft signings mid-season. Faf du Plessis played just seven games for Perth Scorchers and Rashid Khan played just eight for Adelaide Strikers before heading to South Africa. Trent Boult played eight games for Melbourne Stars while Andre Russell played four for Melbourne Renegades before departing for the ILT20 in the UAE. Even Australian Chris Lynn missed the last three games of Strikers season to go to the UAE. Strikers lost their last three matches without both Rashid and Lynn to miss the finals.Faf du Plessis only played seven games in the BBL last season•Getty Images

Dates for the 2023 SA T20 and the ILT20 have yet to be released and the BBL has not moved the season forward specifically to avoid clashing with those leagues. But the head of the BBL, Alistair Dobson, hoped an earlier start and finish to the tournament could mean overseas players can stay for the majority of the season.”We are optimistic again of getting the biggest name players from around the world playing,” Dobson said. “We’re in discussions at the moment with a number of agents given nominations for the draft are open. And early indications are that players are really keen to play again. I think starting a week earlier than we perhaps normally would is a great opportunity for players to come and play most if not all of the BBL season again. Early discussions with agents and players are pretty positive.”A date for the BBL draft is set to be finalised in the coming weeks but it is likely to be held in late August as it was last year and it will be combined with the WBBL overseas draft that is set to take place for the first time.The draft rules, order, and player contract bands are set to be very similar to last year, although there will be some minor modifications to the platinum player salaries depending on how many matches they are available for. A platinum player will earn AUD$420,000, up from AUD$340,000 last year, although that could be reduced to AUD$360,000 if they play less than eight games. The gold band moves to AUD$300,000, silver AUD$200,000 and bronze AUD$100,000.The BBL salary cap has increased to AUD$3 million from 1.9 million as part of Cricket Australia’s new five-year MoU with the Australia Cricketers’ Association.The BBL season has also been reduced in length a year earlier than expected following CA’s new broadcast rights agreement with existing partners Channel Seven and Foxtel.The old agreement is due to expire at the end of 2023-24 and was supposed to include a 56-game home-and-away BBL season (14 games for each team) and a five-team, five-game finals series. But the new deal has been brought forward a year to revert to a 40-game regular season (10 for each team) with just four teams playing finals, which is the same structure as the 2017-18 season.The new structure means that not every team will get to play each other twice. Dobson confirmed that there was no specific formula to work out which teams would play each other twice, with the exception of scheduling two Melbourne and Sydney derbies each.”We deliberately didn’t set any parameters or guidelines around it,” Dobson said. “Given some of the unique considerations this year around venue availability and the shape of the season, we left ourselves with as much freedom as possible to make sure we got the biggest games and the best games in the right slots. We’ll see how this unfolds and how it plays out over the season and whether going forward there are some more guidelines we put around that or whether we just see how it shapes up each season.”It’s been a number of years since we’ve had to have a schedule where not everyone plays each other twice. It was something that we looked at closely in terms of when we got to those final few matchups who played who. But often it wrote itself.”The BBL will have an issue around the finals series with Adelaide Oval and the Gabba unavailable due to the Tests between Australia and West Indies. The BBL is working with both Strikers and Brisbane Heat on alternative venues if they are to host a final.There are only five doubleheaders and no tripleheaders in the schedule. There is also no game on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day but neither have been ruled out as options in the future.

The Bangladesh head coach feels the BPL has not helped develop T20 cricket in the country

Mohammad Isam24-Feb-2024

Bangladesh coach Chandika Hathurusinghe has hit out at the state of the Bangladesh Premier League, indicating that it has not helped develop T20 cricket in the country.Hathurusinghe pointed at the lack of local representation in key batting and bowling roles in the BPL, with the teams often relying on their overseas players for big moments. He also said the ICC should step in to ensure there are regulations in place when it comes to players participating in multiple tournaments in the same window.”We [Bangladesh] don’t have a proper T20 tournament,” Hathurusinghe told ESPNcricinfo. “This sounds very odd. When I am watching the BPL, I sometimes turn off the TV. Some players are not even of the [required] class. I have a big issue with the current system. The ICC need to step in. There has to be some regulations. A player is playing one tournament and then he is playing another tournament. It is like a circus. Players will talk about opportunities, but that’s not right. People will lose interest. I have lost interest.”Hathurusingha said that the Bangladesh players must be given central roles in the BPL.”We need to have a tournament where our players can do things like batting in the top three… Bangladesh bowlers bowling in the death,” he said. “Where will we learn these things otherwise? We have only one tournament.”This season Chattogram Challengers, Sylhet Strikers and Durdanto Dhaka have relied on overseas players for their top three, while Comilla Victorians, Khulna Tigers and Rangpur Riders have used more local players.When it comes to bowling, Comilla, for example, have 12 bowlers in their squad. At the death, they have used eight overseas bowlers. Khulna and Dhaka too have relied more on overseas bowlers during this period. Chattogram, Rangpur, Barishal and Sylhet have used more local bowlers.Abu Hider’s five-wicket haul for Rangpur against Fortune Barishal also underlined just how under-utilised local bowlers are. After missing several games, he took five wickets in his second outing.Khulna called up Jon-Russ Jaggesar, a 37-year-old offspinner from Trinidad and Tobago, whose last competitive game before the BPL appearance was in September 2022. Khulna had spinners Nasum Ahmed, Arif Ahmed and Habibur Rahman in their squad. Left-arm spinners Taijul Islam and Rakibul Hasan played five and two matches respectively for Barishal, who got Keshav Maharaj after he was done with the SA20 stint.Hathurusinghe said the BCB should organise a separate tournament only for local players before the BPL so they could get more T20 experience.”My suggestion is that we have another tournament before the BPL,” he said. “The franchises do what they want. Some of the best players are not playing. Then how do you expect the Bangladesh team to be up with the other teams? I am fighting a steep battle.”

Shubman Gill set up the chase but it looked like Royals had wrested control, until Rahul Tewatia and Rashid Khan came together

Karthik Krishnaswamy10-Apr-20242:17

Rapid Fire: Did RR get their bowling plans wrong?

Rajasthan Royals did almost everything they could to go 5-0 on top of the IPL 2024 points table. But Rashid Khan happened.Rashid conceded just 18 off his four overs, and should have had at least one more wicket but for dropped catches; without his effort, Gujarat Titans could have been chasing a lot more than 197. That was a difficult ask in itself, and it came down to 40 off 15 balls when they lost their sixth wicket.Guess who walked in then? Yes, him again.It’s never over if Rashid is at the crease, especially if Rahul Tewatia is at the other end, and so it proved. It came down to 15 off the last over, which Avesh Khan bowled with only four fielders on the boundary with Royals having incurred an in-game over-rate penalty. Rashid hit two fours off the first three balls, and got back on strike for the last ball with Tewatia sacrificing his wicket at the danger end while going for a third that would have levelled the scores.Two to get, one ball left, and Avesh went short and outside off. Rashid unfurled his wrists, among the strongest and most flexible in world cricket, and carved the ball to the vacant boundary beyond point, and Titans had ended Royals’ unbeaten run.Rashid vs Royals, part 1
Yashasvi Jaiswal threatened to break his run of low scores with a series of thrilling off-side boundaries early on, but both he and Jos Buttler fell inside the powerplay, leaving Royals 42 for 2.Buttler departed in Rashid’s first over, the sixth of the innings, edging a sharply turning legbreak to slip while trying to drive inside-out. The first ball he had faced from Rashid had kept low and beaten him outside off, giving Royals an early clue of how difficult they would find it to score against Rashid.Rashid could have dismissed Riyan Parag later in that over, or in his next over, as Royals’ No. 4 reached away from his body and edged a pair of legbreaks. Keeper Matthew Wade, however, put him down.Related

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Parag and Samson set up challenging total
At times, Noor Ahmad looked just as threatening as his Afghan spin twin at the other end, but he didn’t quite bowl with the same control of length. Parag took every opportunity he got to slog-sweep Noor, when he went a little too full or a little too far down the leg side, and that shot brought him three sixes and a four against the left-arm wristspinner. In all, Parag hit 33 off 17 against Noor, the centrepiece of another impressive display, his third fifty in five innings this season.Sanju Samson didn’t have as much of the strike as Parag early on in their partnership – he was on 29 off 20 when Parag reached his half-century off 34 balls. He made a telling impact when he did get on strike, however, showing off his range of shots, including a stunning pair of hits off Spencer Johnson in the 15th over: two short-of-length balls, punched wide of extra-cover for four and flat-batted over long-on for six.The one bowler the third-wicket pair didn’t go after, though, was Rashid. Parag scored 13 off 15 against him, and Samson five off six. His final over, the 16th, produced five singles and a dot.You could see why Royals played him this way. R Ashwin was slotted at No. 7, and Royals have tended not to use a batter as their Impact substitute even when they’ve lost early wickets. They’ve preferred to stack their bowling, and by playing out Rashid they ensured they could do this again: Keshav Maharaj came in for his IPL debut, partnering Ashwin and Yuzvendra Chahal in a formidable spin attack.With Rashid’s quota done, Royals went hard, taking 57 off their last four overs. Parag fell in the 19th, and Shimron Hetmyer, who has seldom got a chance to get his eye in this season, clattered an unbeaten 13 off 5 as he and Samson hit 24 off the last eight balls of the innings.3:09

Moody: Boult bowling just two overs doesn’t make sense

Gill sets the platform, Sen and Chahal wreck it
Titans hit some sumptuous shots in their powerplay – Sai Sudharsan uppercut Avesh for six, Shubman Gill launched Maharaj inside-out over the cover boundary – but they went at less than eight an over in that phase, ending it at 44 for no loss.Even their good overs weren’t ending up as truly big overs – Sudharsan punched Chahal for back-to-back fours to start the eighth, but Titans only scored 12 off the over, and could have lost Sudharsan had Chahal not dropped a return catch.When Kuldeep Sen, playing his first game of the season, made a dramatic entry with the wickets of Sudharsan, Wade and Abhinav Manohar in the space of 10 legal balls, Titans appeared to be going nowhere, needing 118 off the last 9.2 overs with seven wickets in hand.Vijay Shankar showed a bit of initiative and inventiveness to hit three fours in his first nine balls, but he was bowled missing a sweep off Chahal, and Titans went into their last six needing 86. Gill, on 53 off 37, hadn’t hit a boundary since the 10th over.Gill changed gears at that point, hitting Ashwin for a pair of fours in the 15th over and starting the 16th with two more fours, freeing his arms to take full toll of Chahal’s line wide of off stump. Then came what seemed a decisive moment: Gill stepped out, perhaps a touch too early, and Chahal, seeing him coming, fired it even wider – a genuine wide – to have him stumped for 72 off 44.1:51

Moody: Rashid is very difficult to bowl to

Titans’ finishers finish it off
The last four began with Titans needing 59, and the extra muscle in their line-up – they had included the out-and-out T20 hitters Manohar and Shahrukh Khan for the first time this season – began to pay off. Ashwin’s final over, the 17th, went for 17, as Shahrukh and Tewatia hit him for a six and two fours between them, bringing the equation down to 42 off 18.Royals have used Avesh and Sandeep Sharma as their main death bowlers this season, with Trent Boult not used even once in this phase. Boult conceded only eight in his two powerplay overs here, but Royals continued to not use him at the death here, trusting Avesh to do his assigned job and Sen to step into the absent Sandeep’s shoes.Avesh conceded just seven in the 18th over, along the way spearing in a full ball to trap Shahrukh lbw, playing across it.The momentum seemed to be with Royals, but Sen’s 19th reversed it, as Tewatia, Rashid and extras combined to shave 20 off the 35 that Titans required. The last ball of that over, shortish and angled across the left-handed Tewatia, produced a terrific shot under pressure, flat-batted calmly over mid-off.This left Titans needing 15 off 6. This team, with largely the same personnel, had successfully achieved last-over chases of 15 or more on three occasions during their fairytale debut season of 2022. Tewatia and Rashid had been stars of that season and their runners-up second season in 2023, and they were in the middle again. Was there any way for Titans not to win?

South Africa’s Test captain last was in action in early October and last played a Test in August

Firdose Moonda22-Nov-2024

Temba Bavuma has opened up about battling “mental demons” as he has recovered from a second elbow injury, and a fourth major niggle, in the last two years – all of which kept him out of crucial international games.”It’s definitely has played in my mind. When you’re injured and you start in a rehab process, it’s always tough,” he said in Pretoria, where South Africa are involved in a preparation camp ahead of their home Test summer. “It’s just [about] trying to get over all those mental demons and get yourself into a space where you accept what it is that is happening and you try to deal with it. It has been a tricky couple of weeks.”Bavuma has not played competitive cricket in seven weeks since he fell awkwardly while completing a run in an ODI against Ireland in Abu Dhabi. He hurt the same elbow that he fractured in 2022 – his left one – and was out of action for three months. This time, it has only taken a little over half the time but in-between Bavuma has suffered injuries on both his right and left hamstrings. The former saw him play last year’s ODI World Cup semi-final without being fully fit, and the latter prevented him from batting in the Boxing Day Test against India and from playing in the New Year’s match that followed.Related

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Add to that that he missed South Africa’s Tests in New Zealand in February because of SA20 commitments and the matches in Bangladesh with the most recent elbow concern, and Bavuma has only played in three of the team’s eight World Test Championship (WTC) matches in this cycle. He has watched his team put themselves in contention for the WTC final mostly without him and admitted that hasn’t always been easy.Temba Bavuma: ‘It’s just [about] trying to get over all those mental demons and get yourself into a space where you accept what is happening and try to deal with it’•ICC via Getty Images

“As much as the guys played as well as they did against Bangladesh, it was quite frustrating from my side not being able to take part in that,” he said. “But obviously, I had a lot of joy in how the guys performed.”Bavuma was part of the traveling party in Bangladesh, where South Africa enjoyed their first Test and series victory in the subcontinent in a decade, and was close to playing the second match but felt some discomfort on impact while batting. He has since passed a fitness test – including a 90-minute batting session and has been given the all-clear to lead the side in the hope he will remain fully fit through the summer.”I don’t know what the next couple of weeks or months look like. I’m just happy that I’m able to speak to you guys at this point in time,” he said. “I’ll try to prepare as much as I can from a physical and mental point of view. And hopefully the gods can smile on me a little bit longer.”So far, Bavuma said his “elbow feels good”, the intensity of his training “has definitely ramped up” and he is mentally ready to go. “I feel quite fresh and excited as well to have the opportunity to be batting, to be putting on my pads, to be running on the field. From a skill point of view, it’s always just got to build it, just build that confidence – feel yourself hitting the ball out the middle and feel your movements are the way that you want them to be.”While Bavuma continues to regain his own sense of self-belief, South Africa’s is soaring, not only because they have not lost a Test series under Shukri Conrad but because their WTC fate is in their own hands. If they win all four of their remaining Tests (two each against Sri Lanka and Pakistan), they will be guaranteed a place in the final. Considering that South Africa have played fewer matches than anyone else and effectively forfeited a series in New Zealand, where they were without most of their first-choice players who were committed to the SA20, that they remain in contention itself is impressive, and they know it.”There’s lots of excitement,” Bavuma said. “Obviously, as a group, starting the WTC cycle, that’s one of the things that we spoke about in terms of what we’d like to achieve. Things became a bit tricky for us after the New Zealand trip but there was always a goal at the back of our minds. We understand that the expectation and the pressure will probably ramp up.”There is also renewed hope in South African cricket. After reaching three T20 World Cup finals in 18 months (twice by the women and once by the men) and the men’s ODI World Cup semi-final against expectations, there is a feeling something big (read: trophy) must be on the horizon. Whether that comes now or in the future, Bavuma can feel the positive shift and hopes his team will lean into it.”From a belief point of view, that’s definitely grown within the team,” he said. “We’re playing at home during festive times and playing in front of our home fans. Hopefully the stadiums will have a little bit more people than we are accustomed to. We’ve been putting in some good performances so from a confidence, belief point of view, it’s been good to see. As a team, we’ll ride that for as long as it lives within us.”

Liverpool are believed to be “ready to knock on the door” to sign an impressive midfielder in the summer transfer window, a new report has claimed.

Liverpool need signings despite imminent title win

With Virgil van Dijk still not signing a new Reds deal yet, it is only natural that potential replacements are being looked at, with Barcelona star Ronald Araujo emerging as a reported target.

Liverpool are set to hold talks with the 26-year-old over a summer move to Anfield, with Barca’s financial issues meaning they could possibly be forced into selling one of their most talented players, who has struggled to kick on his career due to injuries.

Meanwhile, Royale Union Saint-Gilloise attacker Mohamed Amoura has also been linked with a summer move to the Reds, as they look to strengthen Arne Slot’s options in the final third. He has scored 10 goals and registered eight assists in the Bundesliga this season, enjoying a fruitful spell out on loan at Wolfsburg.

Trent Alexander-Arnold feels likely to move to Real Madrid currently, so a successor for Liverpool’s vice-captain needs to be found, and Freiburg ace Kiliann Sildillia has been mentioned as an option to come in. At 22, he would be considered a long-term addition to battle with Conor Bradley for playing time.

Liverpool keen on signing "versatile" £50m+ ace

Now, according to Tutto Atalanta [via Sport Witness], Liverpool are “ready to knock on the door” and push to sign Atalanta midfielder Ederson this summer. Offers for the Brazilian are expected to be around £50.7m.

They are far from the only big club showing an interest in the 25-year-old, however, with Manchester United, Juventus and Atletico Madrid all thought to be in the picture.

Ederson has arguably been one of Europe’s leading defensive midfielders in recent years, playing a key role in Atalanta winning the Europa League last season.

He has continued in a similar vein in 2024/25, averaging 1.5 tackles and 1.3 aerial duel wins per game in Serie A, as well as scoring three goals. South American football expert Tim Vickery has also spoken of his appreciation for him.

“24-years-old, strong, well-built central midfielder. Strong on the ball, versatile, box-to-box. Strong personality as well. The first time I remember him was his professional debut really. He was thrown in the deep end in a big team called Cruzeiro, who were really on the slide. They were relegated in dreadful form and even in this bad context, he stood out, so a lot of virtues.”

Ederson’s Serie A stats this season

Total

Appearances

29

Starts

26

Minutes played

2326

Goals

3

Assists

1

Tackles per game

1.5

Aerial duel wins per game

1.3

Pass completion rate

1.0

While Liverpool’s midfield feels well-stocked, there is still an argument to say that a player of Ederson’s ilk would add even more balance, with Ryan Gravenberch and Alexis Mac Allister not necessarily possessing natural defensive traits.

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Posts BySean Markus Clifford Apr 4, 2025

The Atalanta ace could add more protection in front of the defence, but he is more than just a midfield shield, having lots of quality and an ability to chip in with goals.

Three more points in the bag. Newcastle United might just claim a top-four spot in the Premier League, you know, to make an incredible season even more special.

Leicester City were tired and weary against a Newcastle side that pulled no punches. The Foxes limped through the contest, picked at by the swooping Magpies.

Eddie Howe has worked wonders at the club, reaching such heights this year off the back of a disappointing 2023/24 campaign and a frustrating 2024 summer transfer window.

But he needs a big push this summer, should United rise to the next level in 2025/26. Holding onto Alexander Isak will be key, but that’s not to say Howe’s squad won’t need a new centre-forward anyway.

Newcastle make contact with striker

As per Calcio Mercato over in Italy, Newcastle have made contact with Moise Kean’s agent as they prepare to chase down his signature this summer, though caution is needed with Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur also eager to sign him.

Kean, who flopped during his younger years at Everton, has bloomed into one of Serie A’s leading strikers over the past few years, currently enjoying a prolific campaign with Fiorentina.

With a release clause in his contract worth £45m, the 25-year-old could be on the move this summer and St. James’ Park would be the perfect new stomping ground.

What Moise Kean would bring to Newcastle

PIF will hope that their valuation of Isak, north of £150m, will deter interested parties this summer. In any event, Howe needs new forwards, with Callum Wilson’s contract expiring this summer and William Osula as yet unproven as a reliable option.

If Newcastle are to sign a new number nine, they might be wise to target one in the same vein as their Swedish sensation. Kean is that man.

The Italy striker, who has scored 22 goals for Fiorentina this term, so strong and assured of himself, so “fearless” and “courageous,” as has been noted by Three Lions boss Thomas Tuchel.

Reviving his career after a rocky start – a bit like Isak at Real Sociedad, before his £63m transfer to St. James’ Park – Kean has the athletic skill set to succeed in the Premier League.

He boasted such quality before, but was felled by a lack of composure and frustrations concerning being an up-and-coming talent in a turbulent Everton team.

Moise Kean – League Stats by Season (past 5 years)

Season

Apps

Goals

Assists

Fiorentina – 24/25

28

17

3

Juventus – 23/24

19

0

0

Juventus – 22/23

28

6

0

Juventus – 21/22

32

5

3

PSG – 20/21*

26

13

0

Everton – 20/21*

2

0

0

Stats via Transfermarkt

Now, he’s enjoying the apotheosis of his career (thus far), with his clinical nature marrying into an aggressive approach to the final third, actually ranking among the top 9% of forwards across Europe’s top five leagues over the past year for successful take-ons per 90, as per FBref.

This is a further illustration of how he could slot right in as Isak’s partner, mirroring the superstar while bringing something new to the table too.

Last month, BBC Sport’s Mina Rzouki remarked that Kean “made the best decision of his career to go to Fiorentina and leave Juventus.”

Newcastle could provide a similar hothouse for development, and he should emulate his international teammate Sandro Tonali in making the move to Tyneside.

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Posts ByDan Emery Apr 8, 2025

Manchester United are now eyeing a shock move to sign an “unbeatable” goalkeeper for a bargain £17m fee in the summer transfer window, according to a report.

Man Utd drawing up goalkeeper shortlist

Andre Onana has put in some very disappointing performances as of late, with his late blunder against Lyon last Thursday night costing his side a crucial away win in the Europa League quarter-final, and Man United have now started to draw up a list of replacements.

FC Porto’s Diogo Costa has been named as a leading candidate to replace Onana, but with the Portugal international protected by a £64m release clause in his contract, the Red Devils will have to pay a hefty sum if they are to get a deal over the line.

As such, United could look at some cheaper alternatives, and they have also joined the race for Angers shot-stopper Yahia Fofana, who is attracting widespread interest from the Premier League, having put in some impressive performances in Ligue 1 this season.

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Posts ByDominic Lund Apr 16, 2025

Fofana may cost just £15m this summer, making the Ivory Coast international an affordable option, and the same applies to Torino goalkeeper Vanja Milinkovic-Savic, with Man United now interested in a shock move for their former academy player, who spent 18 months in the acadmey between 2014 and 2016.

That is according to a report from Italy (via Sport Witness), which states Milinkovic-Savic has a release clause of just €20m (£17m), which is set to become active at the end of July.

Torino owner Urbano Cairo is eager to receive the full amount, but United believe the goalkeeper’s value is around €12m (£10m), so the two clubs may still be some way apart, and there could be competition for his signature from Premier League rivals Chelsea.

"Unbeatable" Milinkovic-Savic impressing in Italy

The 28-year-old is enjoying a very impressive campaign in the Serie A, having been lauded as “unbeatable” for his record of saving penalties, while he has also looked very solid in general play.

The Serbian ranks extremely highly on a number of key metrics for goalkeepers over the past year, and he places in the top 2% for touches per 90, indicating he is composed in possession of the ball, which may be of key significance to Ruben Amorim.

Statistic

Average per 90

Save percentage

78.7% (95th percentile)

Goals against

1.06 (83rd percentile)

Touches

48.0 (98th percentile)

Save percentage (penalties)

57.1% (92nd percentile)

Amorim has confirmed that Onana will start for United against Lyon in the crucial Europa League encounter on Thursday evening, but the Cameroonian could be running out of chances, having been dropped for Altay Bayindir against Newcastle United last weekend.

Should the former Inter Milan man fail to make major improvements between now and the end of the season, it seems likely Amorim will bring in a replacement, having identified a number of targets, and Milinkovic-Savic has proven he could be a fantastic choice.