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A career-best haul from Somerset’s England spinner saw Essex beaten by 45 runs in a close encounter at Taunton

Matt Roller at Taunton22-Aug-2018
ScorecardJack Leach looked every bit an England player as he bowled unchanged from the River End for the entirety of the final day at Taunton, 32 overs in all, for career-best figures of 8 for 85. He beat the bat time after time; his voice must have waned after going up for appeal after appeal. He was Somerset’s match-winner, and he had a bullish air about him.It seemed a far cry from the analysis of Chris Rogers, Somerset’s then captain, who suggested in 2016 that “emotionally he still has a bit of a way to go” when asked about Leach’s England prospects. “He is still a young guy, he has only ever been in Somerset and the challenges in international cricket are a lot more difficult,” Rogers said. “If they pick him then good luck to him but they’d better look after him.”Then, resembling a follicly challenged IT technician, Leach would celebrate his wickets as though he had surprised even himself by getting a Championship batsman out. He was a superb county spinner, no doubt, but it was hard to imagine him being anything more.”Looking back,” Leach has said of Rogers’ comments, “he was spot on”.Two of his wickets in Somerset’s hard-fought victory over Essex stuck out as crucial. On the stroke of lunch, after accounting for the dogged Nick Browne earlier in the morning, his arm ball shot through Dan Lawrence’s defences to knock back off stump. Leach celebrated with a roar, but with only 111 needed and six wickets in hand, Essex were still in pole position.Then, after the interval, he beat Ryan ten Doeschate once, twice, and a third time for good measure, but could not end his resistance. The Essex captain raised his bat for a second fifty of the game, and he looked primed for a match-winning contribution. Instead, Leach straightened one past his outside edge and into the stumps, and Somerset were halfway there.Ravi Bopara was the next to go, bowled chopping a wide one on to his off stump, before Adam Wheater, Peter Siddle, and Jamie Porter followed. Leach had eight, and the best figures in Division One this season.Things do not tend to come easily for Leach. After his remarkable form in the 2016 run-in, his action came under scrutiny at Loughborough, and he spent the winter undergoing remedial work. After impressing on Test debut in New Zealand, he missed out this summer by breaking his thumb the day before Ed Smith’s first squad was announced. After being told he needed bowl more overs to press his case for the India series, he suffered a concussion against Surrey, ruling him out of Somerset’s next game.He has admitted he found his non-selection for the ongoing India series tough, though his involvement on the winter tour of Sri Lanka looks increasingly likely.”He’s a world-class bowler in my opinion,” said Tom Abell, the man now captaining Leach at Somerset, “it’s so exciting what the future holds for him. We all know how good he is, and hopefully he’s now seeing how good he can be as well.”While it may be assumed from afar that the pitch turned square for Leach, as this Taunton track has tended to over the past few seasons, that was not the case. It was firm and dry, but flattened out as the game wore on.That much was evidenced by Dom Bess, who had a tougher time of it. He bowled flatter, without Leach’s unerring accuracy, and to defensive fields.His day was best summed up by a moment in the field during Josh Davey’s first over with the new ball. Bopara – who came out to bat despite being ill with shingles – had scratched around for 16 deliveries. Still itching to get off the mark, Bopara took a couple of strides down the wicket as the ball rolled to Bess at point. Bess aimed at the stumps, but his wild throw missed by some way, and a misfield backing up meant it ran away for four.Bess lay prone on the ground, surely feeling that this would be neither his nor Somerset’s day. Instead, it was unequivocally Leach’s.

Real Madrid have been warned the expected signing of Kylian Mbappe is no guarantee of success by veteran Spanish forward Iago Aspas.

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Aspas warned Real Madrid ahead of Mbappe's arrivalUsed Messi and Neymar's failure at PSG as exampleMbappe set to join Real Madrid in the summerWHAT HAPPENED?

Mbappe, who has refused to sign a new Paris Saint-Germain, is all set to join La Liga giants Real Madrid in the summer. But ahead of his arrival, Celta Vigo star Aspas has fired a warning towards Los Blancos as he claimed that the Frenchman's signing is not a guarantee of success.

AdvertisementWHAT IAGO ASPAS SAID

Speaking to , Aspas said, "It would be good for La Liga because the better players who come, the more repercussions and economic income will be generated. After that, the cake would have to be shared a little better so that the other teams could get a little closer to Real Madrid.

"On paper, it is very easy to say that Real Madrid are going to sweep everything Mbappe, but that has to be reflected on the pitch. PSG were also going to be the bomb with Messi and Neymar, but they didn’t win the Champions League any year."

GettyTHE BIGGER PICTURE

With the likes of in-form attacking players like Jude Bellingham, Vinicius Jr. and Rodrygo already in their ranks, the France captain's arrival will further enhance their arsenal. Los Blancos have scored 56 league goals thus far with Bellingham being the club's top scorer with 16 goals to his name. Mbappe, on the other hand, enjoying a stellar campaign with his club having scored 34 goals in as many games.

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GettyWHAT NEXT FOR REAL MADRID?

La Liga leaders Madrid will be next seen in action on Sunday as they take on Aspas' Celta Vigo in an important league encounter.

Liverpool failed to qualify for the Champions League for the first time since the 2016/17 season after a fifth-place finish last term, and it gives Jurgen Klopp a chance to perhaps blood a few youngsters in the Europa League.

This will allow the German to divert his attention to securing a top-four finish in the Premier League and they have started the 2023/24 campaign brightly, recording four wins and a draw thus far.

It took two late goals to see off Wolverhampton Wanderers last weekend however, with a particularly shady first-half performance threatening to cost the Reds all three points.

The defence weren’t quite up to the standards expected during the opening 45 minutes, and Joel Matip could well be replaced ahead of this evening's tie against LASK.

How did Joel Matip perform vs Wolves?

The defender did look assured on the ball, taking 111 touches while completing 91% of his passes, yet he lost possession 11 times during the tie while winning just one of his three ground duels against the Old Gold.

The Cameroonian was even dribbled past once while making just one tackle during the game and as a result, Klopp could potentially make a change ahead of the European tie.

Indeed, the defender didn't appear to be at his best, with Reds journalist James Pearce even suggesting that Matip was simply "miles off it" during the opening half.

The German may decide to unleash someone with a bigger physical presence at the heart of his defence and this could mean Ibrahima Konate gets the nod over Matip on Thursday night.

Will Ibrahima Konate start for Liverpool vs LASK?

The £70k-per-week Frenchman was signed two years ago from RB Leipzig and made an instant impression on Klopp, who lavished praise on him after his debut.

He said: “You can see he is incredibly talented. The potential is outstanding. He is used to winning challenges easy. He is young and he played a really good game. Massive. First home game for him.”

The 6 foot 4 brute has made 56 appearances so far for the Anfield side and although last season was disrupted by injury, missing 15 games in total during the campaign, he still impressed when getting a chance in the starting XI.

According to FBref, when compared to positional peers throughout Europe's top five leagues, Konate ranked in the top 10% for tackles per 90 (2.3), while showcasing his attacking mindset by ranking in best top 9% for successful take-ons per 90 (0.59), indicating that not only was he keen on winning the ball back often, but the defender could also drive forward with it and take players on.

The 24-year-old has started twice this term, averaging a 90% pass success rate along with winning 5.7 total duels – at a success rate of 65% – and making 2.3 tackles per game, clearly demonstrating his defensive abilities while showcasing his physical nature.

This could be vital against LASK tonight and while Klopp will want another victory, he will perhaps be more concerned about how several of his players perform on the night ahead of tougher challenges.

Konate should be unleashed from the beginning, and he could make a big statement of intent with a solid performance against the Austrian outfit.

Several England players have moved teams ahead of the 2018 Kia Super League

ESPNcricinfo staff08-Mar-2018

Several England players have moved teams ahead of the 2018 Kia Super League (KSL). Sarah Taylor has left Lancashire Lightning for Surrey Stars, with Alex Hartley going the other way, while Tammy Beaumont moves to Southern Vipers from Surrey.There has also been a straight swap between Loughborough Lightning and Yorkshire Diamonds of Jenny Gunn for Beth Langston.The changes are overseen by the ECB and aimed at keeping a balance between the six sides, ahead of the third edition of the T20 competition. Each of the teams will still be able to recruit their own overseas players.”The latest player movements are to ensure the best balance between the six sides and to maintain a fair and competitive competition with the over-arching principle of trying to ensure a best versus best competition,” KSL general manager Jo Kirk said.”We want the KSL to continue to go from strength to strength in its third year. Attendances rose by 44% last year and we’re looking forward to even more fans attending games this summer, hopefully culminating in a sold-out Finals Day down in Hove.”This year’s KSL begins on July 22 and features an expanded group stage, with the teams now playing each other twice. The top three will then go on to Finals Day at Hove on Bank Holiday Monday, August 27.

Despite the transfer window only shutting last week Chelsea are already looking at bringing in attacking reinforcements in January, and according to the Evening Standard, they could make a shock move for a rival Premier League frontman…

Why do Chelsea need another striker?

The Blues' start to the season has been less than perfect for new manager Mauricio Pochettino as his side currently sits 12th in the Premier League table and have only scored five goals in their first three games, with three of the goals coming against bottom of the league Luton.

In the Chelsea's last game before the international break, they embarrassingly lost 1-0 at home to Nottingham Forest.

During the game, the west London outfit controlled 76.1% and 21 shots but were only able to muster two shots on target, per Sky Sports.

On top of this new signing, Nicolas Jackson squandered a sitter that could already be a contender for miss of the season, after missing the target completely from four yards out.

After the game, the Argentine manager said:

"Today, we created chances. We were not clinical enough in the last third. We should score if we want to win, make one mistake and concede."

Chelsea have limited options at striker despite signing strikers Deivid Washington and Cole Palmer in the latest transfer window. Furthermore, academy graduate Armando Broja is still returning from fitness after he tore his ACL last season.

What's the latest on Ivan Toney to Chelsea?

Indeed, as per the Standard, Brentford talisman Ivan Toney is a potential transfer target for Pochettino and Todd Boehly heading into the new year.

For the time being, though, the former Tottenham Hotspur manager will have to make do with his current options – none of whom could match the Englishman's 21 goals in all competitions last term.

Is Toney the right man for Chelsea?

There's no doubt that the English international, who Brentford reportedly value at £80m would bring much-needed experience to a Chelsea side that has an average age of 23.7 the youngest in the Premier League.

Across his career, the 27-year-old has played 401 games for eight different clubs, scoring 165 goals and registering 59 assists, via Transfermarkt.

Last season the 5 foot 10 "monster" – as once lauded by Horizon United creator Ryan Haber – had an average Sofascore rating of 7.25, the highest at Brentford, as well as ranking in the top 20% of strikers in Europe for goals per 90 minutes, he also ranked in the top 14% for passes into the final third and top 9% for crosses into the penalty area, per FBref.

Speaking on talkSPORT in 2022, former Crystal Palace chairman Simon Jordan described Toney as "an outstanding player."

“He came into the Premier League with a reputation of being of a difficult player to play against because he is unorthodox," he also claimed. “Forget Unorthodox, he is a high-quality player that not only scores goals, but makes goals, he works hard.”

“He is an absolute credit to himself, to his football team and his manager. First of all, he’s probably the best penalty taker in the division by a country mile.

Despite being an ideal target for Chelsea, the former Peterborough United forward is currently serving an eight-month ban from football, that lasts until January 27th after he was found guilty of betting offences.

This means that if he signs for Chelsea he might be in a similar boat to the current crop of strikers, who are either lacking in confidence or the experience to play at the very top level, though his goalscoring record suggests he could well be the final answer to the club's longstanding no.9 problem.

Nottingham Forest will be looking to establish themselves as a competitive Premier League side during their second season in the top flight, and Steve Cooper has made it clear that new additions will be crucial.

The Garibaldi Reds managed to survive the jaws of relegation last season after finding themselves falling into the bottom three on several occasions over the 38-game campaign, but will be hoping that with experience and confidence boosted they will have learned from their mistakes and compete more comfortably this season.

So far, Forest have added former Manchester United academy graduate Anthony Elanga and Arsenal goalkeeper Matt Turner to their squad, but are still extremely active in the transfer market and keen to bolster key positions in the team with quality.

Who are Nottingham Forest's transfer targets?

The Forest boss took to his post-match interview after their Premier League opener at the Emirates last weekend to reiterate the need for more incomings:

"There’s nothing imminent. I have to trust the club to crack on with the work. My work is to work with the team every day, come in every day and try to get the best out of them."

The Trentside club have been linked regularly throughout the summer with a move for Ibrahim Sangare, however, PSV Eindhoven have rejected all proposals so far including a €25m (£21m) bid this week.

Now, it looks like Forest are moving on to another midfield talent, with further reports this week from Record in Portugal suggesting that the Tricky Trees have joined the race to sign SL Benfica star Florentino Luis with the outlet claiming that Forest are preparing a £26m bid for his signature imminently.

Who is Florentino Luis?

Better known as Florentino, the Portugal U21 international has been subjected to a lot of interest from Premier League clubs this summer, as many elite English outfits are looking to improve their midfield personnel.

Liverpool, Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester City have all been named as potential suitors, a testament to the incredible performances and talent that Florentino has displayed over the last 12 months in the defensive midfield role.

Over 33 Liga Portugal appearances last season, the 23-year-old ace registered three assists, tallied up a 90% pass completion rate, successfully completed 72% of his dribbles and won 60% of his aerial and ground duels combined, as per SofaScore.

When comparing Florentino's output with Sangare's last season, it's clear to see why he'd be such a good alternative.

Indeed, the pair shared many similarities in key attributes including pass completion (89.7% v 83.7%), goal-creating actions per 90 (0.21 v 0.16), percentage of dribblers tackled (69.7% v 57.5%) and aerial duels won (61% v 62.5%), as per FBref.

Football talent scout Jacek Kulig lavished praise on the Portuguese whiz following the climax of the Primeira Liga last season:

"[He has] superb work rate, positioning, timing, composure, and consistency. The Portuguese Octopus."

With that being said, the signing of Florentino would be a major addition for Forest, especially if they could be the likes of Liverpool and Man City to the signing of the midfielder, as he could be an incredible asset to Cooper over the season ahead and beyond.

Rumesh Ratnayake, Sri Lanka’s bowling coach, has termed Suranga Lakmal’s spell of 6-6-0-3 as among the best he has seen “in a long time”. Lakmal’s relentless probing on a green Eden Gardens pitch and under overcast skies left India struggling at 17 for 3 at the end of a first day during which only 11.5 overs were bowled.”I would say it is one of the finest I have seen in a long time,” Ratnayake said. “I am not sure if it’s the best spell I have seen but one of the finest I have seen for a long, long time. Saying that, the wicket was very receptive, it was very helpful, and it’s going to be a big challenge [for Sri Lanka’s batsmen later on].”We were sort of expecting, looking at the wicket, we knew that it was going to seam. By saying that, the job isn’t finished. It’s only started, it’s just started.”Ratnayake admitted it was a good toss for Sri Lanka to have won, but he expected conditions to remain helpful to fast bowlers for a while longer.”Yeah, certainly a good toss to win, but I personally feel that it may last about one-and-a-half days or so, maybe more. We can’t play God here and say it will last for two-three days but I would say it will last at least for two days. But since it’s a new wicket, I believe it might be an extra day or two because there is a certain amount of grass. The surface is grassy.”Before they went out to bowl, Ratnayake said he stressed that the fast bowlers pitch the ball up.”As much as we push the batsmen back, it is very important that we keep it up because, as you may have seen, the movement or the vulnerability was more as the bowler pitched it up and also within the wicket. Our tactics on a normal wicket would be different, our tactics in this game are different. So it’s just keeping the ball up.”It was also important for the fast bowlers to make the batsmen play as much as possible; while Lakmal did this, his new-ball partner Lahiru Gamage struggled with his line, bowling too far outside off stump, though Ratnayake suggested he got better as his spell wore on.”Did you see the difference after the [stoppage due to bad light]?,” he said. “It was a matter of him getting his rhythm right and more importantly the timing also right.”So he was not having that right and when you get your rhythm and timing right, you get the place where you want to hit it in a much easier way for the body. As much as you need timing in batting, you need timing in bowling as well. If you rush through the delivery, the chances of you hitting the right place is not as great as when your timing is right.”India’s batting coach Sanjay Bangar, meanwhile, said his batsmen were tested not just by the conditions but also by the fact that there were so many interruptions in play. With the floodlights turned on right through, he felt it resembled a day-night Test.”The conditions were pretty tough for batting, and what didn’t really help us was that we didn’t get an extended passage of play, wherein you had 15-20 overs bowled at a batsman in a particular fashion,” Bangar said. “So that didn’t allow the batsmen to get into any sort of a rhythm.”It didn’t seem to be a day Test match. It was more like a day-night Test match and at times when you play in such circumstances, playing with the red ball becomes pretty tough because it’s more difficult to pick the red ball.”Given how much help there was for the quicks, there was a case for India to pick three fast bowlers and just the one spinner to enable them to play an extra batsman. India, however, picked three fast bowlers and two spinners.”This team management has believed in going in with five batsmen and the quality of the allrounders that we have – Ashwin, Jadeja, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and also Wriddhiman Saha – we think that that gives a lot of depth in the lower order and it gives us a lot of bowling options as well to pick up 20 wickets in a Test match. That has really worked well for us,” Bangar said. “If you look at the last two-and-a-half seasons, we’ve won nearly 20 Test matches. So that’s mainly due to the team composition that we have opted to play.”The spinners, Bangar felt, would come into the game as it progressed, particularly if the pitch dried out and the dents caused by the ball’s impact on a damp surface hardened.”I think we’ve got all bases covered,” he said. “As the game progresses into the fourth and fifth days, you’ll also find that because of the dampness, there would be dents on the wickets. As the game progresses, there will be variable bounce which might come into play. So both the spinners are really vital to us and we’ve got all bases covered – we’ve got the swing and seam and the pace we require. We’ve got a variety of bowlers and we’ve got all bases covered.”Before that, however, India’s batsmen will need to put up some sort of total on the board.”Yes, you’ll have to grind out quite a bit because there are going to be a lot of balls which are going to beat the outside edge as well as the inside edge of the bat,” Bangar said. “We need to respect the conditions as a batsman and think about the next ball. If you start thinking or worrying about the amount of times you’re getting beaten, it plays on your mind.”The best mindset is to forget the previous ball and accept that you’re going to get beaten on a number of occasions. Probably, on such a wicket, you might not play really, really beautiful shots, but you’ll have to grind it out and take runs. So most of the runs might not be beautiful or elegant but those are equally important runs.”

Manchester United are set to submit an offer for Fiorentina defensive midfielder Sofyan Amrabat in the coming days, and reports have revealed the club’s chances of bringing him to the Premier League.

How old is Sofyan Amrabat?

Amrabat is 26 years of age so is very much in the prime years of his career, and with his contract expiring in less than a year meaning that the ongoing window will be Vincenzo Italiano’s final opportunity to cash in should he not want to risk losing his prized asset for free, he’s been heavily linked with a move to Old Trafford.

The Athletic’s Laurie Whitwell has reported that the Red Devils have already held talks over a deal for the Morocco international and that personal terms are not expected to be a problem, which seems to be the case with the player having turned down offers from West Ham and Saudi Arabia to force a switch to M16.

Read The Latest Man United Transfer News HERE…

With Fred having now completed a permanent exit to Fenerbahce and Donny Van De Beek also looking like he’ll be on his way out before September 1st, Erik ten Hag should create more space for new central reinforcements, and if the following update is to be believed, the Serie A star is a candidate being targeted by the boss in the top-flight.

Are Man United signing Sofyan Amrabat?

According to TuttoMercatoWeb (via Sport Witness), Man United could table a “proposal” for Amrabat “after” August 15th (Tuesday). Fiorentina’s talisman is “courted” by Ten Hag, and a different outlet, Corriere Fiorentino, claim that the club are still the “main contenders” to secure his signature, with a bid of €27m (£23m) likely to be “enough” to seal a deal.

When recently asked during a public interview whether or not he’d be moving onto new pastures this summer, the player said: “I don’t know if I’m leaving… maybe I can stay here at Fiorentina. I don’t know, I could remain.”

How good is Sofyan Amrabat?

Man United will know that Amrabat isn’t that strong in the attacking aspect of his game having provided just one assist across all competitions last season, but having been dubbed a “monster” in defensive midfield by reporter Carlo Garganese, he could be an excellent recruit for Ten Hag.

The Huizen native last season recorded an 89.8% pass success rate which would make him the third-highest in comparison to what the manager’s current squad achieved, displaying his calmness and composure on the ball, alongside averaging 1.3 tackles per top-flight game, showing his desire to get stuck in and win back possession for his team.

Amrabat, who has the versatility to operate in an outstanding eight different positions over the pitch, including everywhere across the centre and even three roles in the defence, also shares the same agent, CAA Stellar, as Luke Shaw, Dean Henderson, Kobbie Mainoo and Facundo Pellistri, so this existing connection that his representative already has to the club could give them a small advantage in their pursuit during the final weeks of the window.

Aston Villa are reportedly ready to go head-to-head with Everton in their pursuit of Juventus winger Samuel Iling-Junior.

Unai Emery and Monchi have already secured the signings of Youri Tielemans, Pau Torres and Moussa Diaby in an impressive summer so far, however, reports suggest that the Villans could have a lot more in the tank yet.

Could Aston Villa sign Samuel Iling-Junior?

According to Calciomercato, former Chelsea academy star Iling-Junior is on Monchi’s list and the Midlands side are ‘willing to present a concrete offer’ and are joined by the Toffees with this stance.

Read the latest Aston Villa transfer news HERE…

It’s speculated that Juventus will expect a fee in the region of €25m (£21m) to sanction a sale, as the Italian giants prepare to offload talent this summer to adhere to financial requirements.

No one at the Old Lady is reported to be ‘non-transferable’ this window as per reports in Italy, making Villa’s claim to the winger encouraging.

How good is Samuel Iling-Junior?

Making the move from Chelsea’s academy to the youth set-up in Turin in 2020, the winger has showcased his talents performing in Italy’s Primavera 1 youth league.

The 19-year-old made a fast start to life with the Bianconeri, contributing to 11 goals in his opening campaign in Primavera 1, scoring four and assisting seven in 27 appearances.

The standard was exceeded the season after in the 2021/22 term, in which he scored 10 and assisted another seven goals in 26 appearances in the league, cementing himself as a key member of Juventus’ youth side.

Last season, the teenager earned his first taste of Serie A, in which he recorded a goal and an assist in just 309 minutes played for Massimiliano Allegri’s side.

Once hailed as an “assist machine” by Eurosport Italy journalist Michele Neri, the winger was identified by scouting site Total Football Analysis as being a competent ‘creative output’ as a player that fits the ‘old-school winger narrative’ due to his favoured approach of dribbling to then ‘whip rapid balls into the penalty area’.

For Villa, the interest in Iling-Junior could hand Emery the key to unlock the next door to Ollie Watkins’ talents, in a move that could allow the Englishman to add to his highest Premier League goal tally of 15 goals, secured last season.

The 27-year-old is a striker identified as being one to lurk in the penalty area to ‘pose a close-range threat’, as per a scouting report via The Coaches Voice.

Such traits make the striker the ideal outlet for a player as dynamic and creative as Iling-Junior, who could feed the goal-hungry star with added opportunities that suit his style of line leading.

Averaging 1.47 key passes per 90 during his cameo in Serie A last term, the Londoner could be the perfect acquisition for Emery to integrate into his side with a bid to bolster his depth in attack as a reliable source in the final third.

An area of the former Chelsea man’s game that could make him a strong capture for Monchi is his experience in playing in England, and his understanding of the demand of the English game, a trait that can determine the success of a transfer.

In a reportedly cheap swoop, the Spanish duo could once more add to the project on show at Villa Park with a teenager that could have his best years in the Midlands.

Manchester United have a "long-standing interest" in signing AS Monaco defender Axel Disasi, but there probably won't be any new centre-back arrivals unless there is a departure in that position, according to Sky Sports reporter Dharmesh Sheth.

What's the latest Man United transfer news?

Harry Maguire's time at Old Trafford appears to be coming to an end, with it recently being reported the Englishman is set to be stripped of the captaincy, as Erik ten Hag favours the centre-back partnership of Raphael Varane and Lisandro Martinez.

To replace the 30-year-old, it has now emerged that Man United are plotting a shock move for Antonio Rudiger, who could be tempted by a return to the Premier League if he is guaranteed game time at centre-back.

While a move for the former Chelsea man would no doubt be exciting for United fans, Real Madrid president Florentino Perez has no plans to sell the German defender this summer, so the Red Devils may continue to run the rule over some other options.

Back in June, it was reported that United were leading the race for Disasi, but Sheth has now suggested that a move is unlikely, unless Ten Hag is able to shift on Maguire, or another centre-back this summer.

In an interview with GiveMeSport, the Sky Sports reporter said: “They are looking at other players in that position. Axel Disasi from Monaco is another player they've also got a long-standing interest in.

“But the information I've been given is there probably won't be any arrivals in that position unless there's a departure in that position.”

Is Axel Disasi signing for Man United?

It is clear that Ten Hag would be keen on a move for the Monaco defender, with transfer expert Fabrizio Romano recently claiming the manager has "approved" a move, after weeks of talks on the player's side.

However, Man United may have to move swiftly if they are to win the race for the £11k-per-week ace, with Romano also explaining that Newcastle are now exploring a deal, and the Magpies are now expected to make contact with Monaco.

As such, the race for the 6 foot 3 centre-back appears to be wide open, but if United do manage to beat Newcastle in the race for his signature, they could be signing a fantastic player.

Football scout Jacek Kulig has hailed the France international as "complete & dominant", while praising him for his pace, tackling, heading and athleticism, and likening him to Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk.

The former Reims man is a forward-thinking defender, ranking in the 96th percentile for progressive carries and progressive passes per 90 over the past year, and he also poses a threat in the opposition box, placing in the 93rd percentile for non-penalty goals.

With Maguire's time at United seemingly coming to an end, it is important that Ten Hag brings in a top-quality replacement to provide competition for Varane and Martinez, and Disasi looks like he could be a very good addition to the squad.