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The young J&K medium-pacer was with the franchise in the UAE as a net bowler

ESPNcricinfo staff24-Sep-2021Sunrisers Hyderabad have signed up 21-year-old Jammu & Kashmir medium-pacer Umran Malik as a “short-term Covid-19 replacement” for T Natarajan, who had to be placed in isolation after testing positive for the virus before the start of the team’s game against Delhi Capitals on September 22. Malik has been with the Sunrisers team as a net bowler in the UAE.Malik has played just one T20 and one List A game in the Indian domestic circuit, after making his debut for the state team earlier this year. The T20 game was against Railways in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, where he picked up 3 for 24 from his four overs in a seven-wicket loss for his team, while the List A appearance was in the Vijay Hazare Trophy against Bengal, where he conceded 98 runs from his ten overs for one wicket as Jammu and Kashmir conceded 368 runs and lost by 82 runs.Under IPL guidelines, franchises are allowed to sign short-term replacement players during the absence of a regular squad member, so Malik will “only be a part of the Sunrisers side until Natarajan recovers and is allowed to join the team”, an IPL statement confirmed.Earlier this year, during the first leg of the IPL when it was played in India, bowling allrounder Shams Mulani became a short-term recruitment for the Delhi Capitals in similar circumstances when Axar Patel tested positive for Covid-19.Natarajan went into isolation along with six other members of the Sunrisers contingent – including allrounder Vijay Shankar and net bowler G Periyaswamy – who were identified as his close contacts on September 22. The game between Sunrisers and Capitals was, however, allowed to go ahead on schedule.All participants in the IPL had to quarantine for six days upon arriving in the UAE, and undergo testing every two days in the first week, and every fifth day from the second week. According to the guidelines in place for the IPL, anyone testing positive for Covid-19 must isolate for a minimum of ten days. They can then rejoin the team’s bubble after clearing two tests, on days nine and ten.This is the second time during the course of the two-part IPL 2021 that a Sunrisers player has tested positive for Covid-19. In May, wicketkeeper-batter Wriddhiman Saha had to isolate for two weeks in Delhi after returning a positive test.

Opta's "team power ratings" have Major League Soccer as the ninth best league in the world, up one place from the 2023 season

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• MLS's average competitiveness improving, per Opta
• Ranked 9th this year, up one place from the 2023 campaign
• Premier League, Serie A, Bundesliga round out top three

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  The latest round of Opta analyst's league rankings have placed MLS as the ninth best league in the world, one up from last year's result.

  The model, which ranks leagues based on "average team power" – a comparative statistical valuation of how good sides are – has MLS above the English Championship, but below the top tiers of European soccer. Its rating of 78.2 is well above Liga MX's of 76.7 – with the Mexican league finishing 14th in the rankings.

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• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  MLS starts to look even more impressive when the average power ratings of a league's top 10 teams is calculated. Although still in ninth, the U.S.'s rating climbs to 81.5 – and places it ahead of the Eredivisie.

  This year's improvement comes after a significant leap in 2023. The league moved from 29th to 10th in last year's rankings – an upward trend that has continued.

  The Saudi Pro League, regarded by many as being close to MLS in quality, has a rating of 73.6, making it the 33rd best league in the world.

• DID YOU KNOW?

  Although MLS as a league is ranked highly by the model, individual teams have struggled to crack the top 50. The highest ranked MLS side is Columbus Crew, which slots in at 69th. Lionel Messi's Inter Miami comes in at 98th, six places behind Cristiano Ronaldo's Al-Nassr.

• USA Today Images
  

  WHAT NEXT FOR MLS?

  The most competitive time of the year is around the corner for MLS. Decision Day is this weekend, and playoffs start in just eight days – with wildcard fixtures set for October 23.

The home season will kick off on September 9 in Karachi with the Pakistan Cup one-day tournament

ESPNcricinfo staff24-Aug-2021England Women are set to tour Pakistan for the first time, to play two T20Is and three ODIs in Rawalpindi in October. In all, Pakistan Women will compete in 33 matches – both domestic and international – in the upcoming home season, either side of the Women’s ODI World Cup Qualifier in Zimbabwe. The ten-team tournament, which will also feature Pakistan, will be played between November 21 and December 5 in Harare.According to a PCB media release, the board is also in talks with an ICC member for an ODI series prior to the national team’s departure for Zimbabwe.The home season will kick off on September 9 in Karachi with the Pakistan Cup one-day tournament before England’s visit to the country. As for the National T20 Cup, it will run during June-July 2022 after which Pakistan will travel to Birmingham for the 2022 Commonwealth Games.Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the PCB could host only the T20 tournament last season. A 14-match Under-19 tournament is also part of the forthcoming domestic calendar as the PCB seeks to identify players for the inaugural Women’s Under-19 World Cup that will be held in 2023. The board has also expanded its women’s domestic structure by including a fourth team now.”Pakistan has never before seen such a jam-packed women’s cricket season,” Urooj Mumtaz, the chairperson of the women’s selection committee, said. “The domestic events and the bilateral international series have been designed in a way to provide effective opportunities to the players to prepare themselves for the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup Qualifier.”The gradual growth in the player pool through our emerging team and Skills2Shine programme, has led to the addition of a fourth team in our domestic cricket. The increased number of matches will provide an opportunity to a larger group of players, thereby allowing greater opportunities to polish and enhance their skills, temperament and game awareness.”Pakistan Women’s most recent assignment was the tour of the Caribbean, where they were swept 3-0 in the T20I leg and lost the first three ODIs before ending the trip with back-to-back consolation victories.

The England batter had the stellar ability to make games change course, and that made him worth more than his numbers

Jarrod Kimber18-May-2025In December 2013, when covering a Test at the WACA, journalists started putting their laptops in the fridge as they overheated. It was hot every day of this Test, with 37°C the maximum temperature. The sort of heat that melts your soul after a day or two.Some batters say that it gets harder to think in hot conditions. They resort to trying to get as many runs as they can before fatigue gets them out. This was one of those days. England were well behind in the Test, needing to score 504 to win. At the crease was Kevin Pietersen.The chances of winning were low. The heat had split the WACA pitch like a fault line, with cracks everywhere. Australia had Mitchell Johnson in peak form, and burly chested fast bowler Ryan Harris, who was almost as good. They were both too fast, too much. With a big total to chase, the wicket and the heat, nothing was on England’s side. But they did still have Pietersen, the player who changed things with his strokeplay. His strike rate at the end of his career was 62, which was nowhere near some of the quickest players. But when he went hard, it was violent. “Kevin Pietersen, he’s the best player I’ve ever seen play for England,” says David “Bumble” Lloyd.At The Oval in 2005, Pietersen was yet to make a Test hundred. He was facing Brett Lee and Shaun Tait – two of the fastest bowlers, then and now. As well as Glenn McGrath and Shane Warne – two of the best bowlers, then and now.Pietersen slog-swept Warne like he was a part-timer in a village team. The champion legspinner took 40 wickets in that series. Pietersen brought his hundred up from 124 balls, though for a period Warne bowled defensively around the wicket into the footmarks just to slow him down.But it was the attack on Brett Lee that was the most exhilarating. After 60 balls, Pietersen was on 35, and most of those were boundaries from attacking Warne. Lee decided to bounce Pietersen.It started with a bruise, clocked at 93.7mph. All Pietersen could do was glove it and almost fall over into his stumps. Straight after that, Lee went all in on the short ball. Pietersen went on the hook.The second ball of this plan was hooked for six. Lee’s speed was 91mph. It cleared fine leg by some distance. Pietersen was not a great hooker; like many other tall batters, he didn’t face as many short balls growing up as others. He often made the decision late, and it was more of a panicked swipe. He also often tried to play it off the front foot, which he was even worse at. He averaged far less on the pull and hook than the top six batters of his era.After a watchful start against Brett Lee at The Oval in 2005, Pietersen laid into him, hitting three sixes and five fours•Hamish Blair/Getty ImagesPietersen used this shot differently compared to other players. He was daring quicks to keep bowling it to him. Lee did. Looking back, it felt like this contest went on forever. Lee kept getting faster and shorter, and Pietersen swung more and more frantically. Lee was forced to give up the plan.No one who saw that innings live has ever forgotten it.Pietersen was no one’s idea of a perfect batter. His technique involved hitting balls on the up, dragging deliveries from outside off to leg, and hitting the ball in the air. Playing across the line might have been why he struggled in the second innings of matches, averaging only 38, as the ball kept lower. Overall, the risks he took stopped him from averaging 50 in what was a great era to bat.He is not an automatic selection for the top 50 Test batters of all time, but his ability to turn a match in an innings was like few others in history. It means his average of 47 is more significant than others.About eight years after 2005, Pietersen is facing fast bowling from Australians again – this time on a faster wicket, at the WACA. But he is also going up against a new Australian spinner, Nathan Lyon, bowling with the breeze.Australia have attacking fielders and boundary riders, an in-out field. Many batters would simply rotate the strike, punish any bad deliveries and keep their wicket intact. Lyon is the bowler to milk, to stay in against, to save your real energy for Johnson’s thunderbolts or Harris’ Mack Truck-like force. However, it is hot, and the Australian quicks are all rotating through their second spells. To give them more time to rest, Lyon’s offspin is floating on the breeze.Pietersen starts to attack him almost immediately, smashing one back, which is stopped. Next, he comes down the wicket and drop-kicks a shot over mid- on. He gets three. The next over, there are two more boundaries: one from a fine sweep and another from a cover drive against the spin. Lyon stays on, and Pietersen wants to emphasise that he should not. So he runs down and smashes the ball over the long-on fielder into the crowd. It is audacious, wild, and exactly how Pietersen thinks.He was averaging more than 50 against Lyon then. He has the match-up, has put him in the crowd, and scores off him with ease. One more blow will change Australia’s rest strategy.BloomsburyPietersen runs down the wicket at Lyon one more time and goes for glory. But something doesn’t work; his head isn’t perfect, the ball doesn’t come from the middle, it hangs in the famous Fremantle Doctor and the catch is taken by Harris, one of the quick bowlers he is trying to tire, at long-on.Though we were almost a decade into Pietersen’s career at this point, and he’d taken that sort of risk so many times, he was still taken to task for it.People saw it as arrogance, a lack of patience, or just plain stupidity. But there was solid thinking to how he played. If he did knock Lyon out of the attack, Johnson would probably have to come back too early. Getting him tired was the key to making runs against Australia if you’d managed to survive Harris and the new ball.Johnson and Harris were the threats. You could try handling them for hours and do that over time, or you could speed up the process by making the player who rests them unbowlable.Pietersen often chose the faster, more dramatic option. And when it worked, England won the 2005 Ashes due to his 158 at the Oval. When it didn’t, Australia won the 2013-14 Ashes at the WACA. In terms of game theory, Pietersen was risk and reward. He was hailed as a hero when it worked and abused as a pariah when it didn’t.The Art of Batting: the Craft of Cricket’s Greatest Run Scorers

Manchester United have had plenty of struggles over the past decade, with their lack of a dominant midfield being one of the biggest.

During the glory days of Sir Alex Ferguson, the midfield laid the foundations for success, with Roy Keane and Paul Scholes very much at the heart of it.

The duo are regarded as two of the best midfielders to have graced the Premier League, and together, they were formidable, winning 191 matches over 322 that they played alongside each other.

Therefore, the prospect of Sir Jim Ratcliffe signing a player who’s like Keane and Scholes rolled into one must be extremely exciting.

Man Utd’s search for a new midfielder

As per a report from Portuguese outlet Record, via The Faithful MUFC, Man United are looking to secure their first signing of the summer, Joao Neves.

It’s reported that the Red Devils have already made a £51m bid for the talented midfielder; however, it’s unfortunately been rejected already.

Benfica are holding out for around the £85m mark for their star prospect, as he has a release clause of £102m.

However, United will have to beat the likes of Liverpool, Manchester City, and Chelsea in order to sign Neves.

How Neves compares to Scholes and Keane

Since breaking into the first team at Benfica during the 2022/23 season, Neves truly cemented himself as an incredible prospect last campaign.

The talented Portuguese featured in 55 matches across all competitions, including six times in the Champions League and the Europa League.

Over these appearances, he’s scored three goals and provided two assists, but serving as a creative outlet and a goalscoring threat isn’t his main instruction.

Neves’ role in Benfica’s side is to play in a double pivot of a 4-2-3-1 formation, where he’s expected to control the game while also providing support defensively.

As you can see from the table above – which takes statistics from Keane's 1994 World Cup campaign and Scholes' exploits at the 2002 World Cup – Neves has plenty of similarities to both United legends, especially when comparing the numbers.

Firstly, Neves is an extremely technical player who knows exactly how to control a game, often dropping deeper to progress play while rarely losing possession, as shown by his passes completed, touches, and pass accuracy.

This is certainly similar to Scholes, who was also a master with the ball at his feet. Football analyst Ben Mattinson also stated that there are similarities between the two in terms of adding “technical ability to their midfield, help improve their build-up & become a key player to lead them.”

However, what makes Neves so "special,” as further dubbed by Mattinson, is the fact that he’s also extremely dominant from an out-of-possession perspective, and his defensive stats back that up.

This is where his Keane-like attributes come into the picture, due to his tenacious and relentless approach that has made him be labelled as a “warrior" by scout Jacek Kulig, which we all know the Irishman was, as shown by the clip below.

Just like the Irish icon, Neves can cover ground with ease, and he also has the hunger to win with a slight aggression, as highlighted by the duo’s duels won per game.

When combining all of his qualities, it’s clear to see that Neves plays in a similar way to both Scholes and Keane, and despite his insane fee, a player with such class must be signed.

Man Utd could sign £51m sensation in Bruno Fernandes repeat

The Man United target can be bought for £51m this summer.

By
Tom Lever

Jun 4, 2024

The ODI side is entering a period of change ahead of the next World Cup

Andrew McGlashan07-Mar-20251:22

Agar: Australia building more depth a big positive despite loss

Australia’s transition into their title defence at the 2027 ODI World Cup, which will be staged in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia, is now well underway after Steven Smith became the third of the victorious 2023 squad to retire from the format following David Warner and Marcus Stoinis. There could well be more to follow in the coming months as players take stock of their careers.A core group should remain for the selectors to build around as they make their plans over the next two years – Pat Cummins told ESPNcricinfo recently that the next World Cup was still firmly in his sights as captain – but how often Australia will field what could be termed their strongest team in bilateral ODIs remains to be seen given the game’s cluttered schedule, which includes a T20 World Cup next year and the ongoing priority of Test cricket.Related

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In situations like this, it’s fun to look into the crystal ball and have an (educated) guess at those that could come into the frame. For the purpose of this exercise, here’s six names who were not part of the Champions Trophy squad – so therefore doesn’t include the likes of Cooper Connolly, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Tanveer Sangha and Spencer Johnson – that could be in the mix for the next generation of Australia’s ODI side.

Cameron Green

It’s certainly not pulling a rabbit out of a hat to include Green’s name here. He would have been part of the Champions Trophy squad had it not been for the back injury that required surgery in October. But he shapes as a pivotal figure heading into 2027 because, like with the Test side, of the balance he can bring. He may be the ideal replacement for Smith at No. 3 given he is a frontline batter who has different gears. Last season he twice batted No. 3 against West Indies and was then at No. 4 in England before his injury. With Stoinis retired and Mitchell Marsh’s future uncertain, Green’s pace bowling will also be important although there may be a need to manage his workload.Mitchell Owen could come into the selectors’ planning•Getty Images

Sam Konstas

Matt Short, whose Champions Trophy was ended by injury, would appear in pole position to be Travis Head’s long-term opening partner but things can change. At 19, Konstas has plenty of World Cup cycles ahead of him and there is a decent argument to say that he should be given time to settle his red-ball game before thoughts are given to another international format. Finding the right tempo has been a challenge since his dramatic arrival into Test cricket against India, but his best innings of the last few weeks came in the One-Day Cup for New South Wales where he battled through cramp to make an 82-ball century when the next-highest score was 34.

Mitchell Owen

It was, perhaps, no surprise to see people asking the question around the Champions Trophy: “Why haven’t they called up Mitch Owen?” This season he has gone from a fringe state and BBL player into a name attracting global interest after two T20 hundreds – including the spectacular 108 off 42 balls in the BBL final – followed by 149 off 69 balls in the One-Day Cup. A T20 call-up in the near future feels quite likely and the selectors may well consider having a look at him in the ODI format to see whether that formidable striking power he possesses can be consistently translated into the longer game. His seam bowling adds another handy dimension.Xavier Bartlett made a fine start to his ODI career•AFP/Getty Images

Will Sutherland

Another allrounder of significant promise, Sutherland’s combination of splice-jarring fast-medium and his evolving middle-order batting will keep him in the selectors’ conversations. Despite Victoria falling short, he was impressive in the recent One-Day Cup final with 3 for 67 and 50. Although in a different format, his 70 off 45 balls for Melbourne Renegades against Perth Scorchers was one of the innings of the BBL season after his team had been 10 for 4 chasing 148 at Optus Stadium. However, consecutive winters hit by stress fractures in his back mean that he will continue to be carefully monitored.

Xavier Bartlett

Given the number of absentees from the pace attack, Bartlett was unlucky not to be a replacement for the Champions Trophy. In two ODIs against West Indies last year he took eight wickets but has not played since with injury ruling him out of the England series in September then a carefully managed return through the T20Is against Pakistan. It is uncertain whether both Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood will reach the next World Cup, but conditions in southern Africa could be ideal for someone who can gain sharp movement with the new ball.

Lance Morris

Given how much Morris has been talked about over the last few years, it will be an incredible frustration to him that his international career has so far been limited to three ODIs as he nurses his way through various back problems and other injuries. When on song, no one is quicker in Australian cricket. Someone with his skillset could be a real X-factor on some of the faster South Africa pitches that may be offered up in 2027 but, with Test cricket also an ambition, it could come down to what his body will allow.

Derbyshire set to lose promising seamer as he returns to Hove for second stint

George Dobell11-Jul-2021Fynn Hudson-Prentice is to join Sussex from Derbyshire at the end of the season.Hudson-Prentice, the 25-year-old seamer, developed through the Sussex pathway and played seven first-team games for the club in 2014 and 2015. He was released at the end of 2016.The MCC Young Cricketers programme gave him another chance, though, and he was signed by Derbyshire in 2019. He is the club’s equal leading wicket-taker (with 21 at 24.95) in the LV= Insurance County Championship this season. He also made 99 in his maiden first-class appearance for the club and featured in the side that made it to T20’s Finals Day in 2019. As such, he is seen as a multi-dimensional all-rounder who can contribute in all formats.”I remember encountering Fynn at a Lord’s Test match when he was with the MCC Young Cricketers and really noticing a change in the way he was going about things since leaving Sussex,” Sussex’s T20 Head Coach, James Kirtley, said. “I kept tabs on him as he went off to Derbyshire and it has been exciting to see him do really well over the last couple of years.”Fynn has grown as a player and a person. He’s a Sussex lad, he’s a performer, a match-winner and his skill-set gives us real balance in our sides in all three formats. That ticks the boxes for us with the strategy we’ve got and will continue to pursue.”The news is a blow to Derbyshire, though, who are in the middle of a poor season. They are bottom of the North Group in the Championship and seventh in the North Group of the T20 Blast. They are also being sued by a former club stalwart, Tony Palladino.”I’m massively grateful for the time I’ve spent at Derbyshire over the past three seasons,” Hudson-Prentice said, “and I wish the club all the best for the future.”Although I enjoyed my time at the club, I couldn’t turn down the opportunity to go back home to where it all began. I’m really looking forward to the next chapter of my career at Hove.”

Arsenal boss Jonas Eidevall says it is "simply not good enough" the way the Women's Super League has handled the rescheduling of matches.

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• Chelsea's WSL match with Man Utd postponed
• Conflicted with Champions League tie with Real Madrid
• Arsenal boss Eidevall says it's "not good enough"

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Chelsea's match with Manchester United in the Women's Super League on Sunday was postponed as it was too close to the Blues' Champions League tie with Real Madrid on October 8. The Women's Professional Leagues Limited, which now runs the WSL, said the cancellation was to prioritise player welfare. But the match was scheduled weeks before the Champions League draw, as Gunners boss Eidevall described the whole affair as "amateurish behaviour".

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  WHAT JONAS EIDEVALL SAID

  He said, via : "Out of the 16 teams, 13 were scheduled to play on the Friday or Saturday and the three English teams were all scheduled to play on the Sunday. We have a league organisation that doesn’t act proactively on these matters. It is damaging for the fans. It is simply not good enough from the league. Do the league want English teams to be successful at European level? I would hope the answer to that would be yes, but the actions show differently. It shows that this is not one of their priorities."

  He added: ""It is very important that this is the first time in the group stage that three teams reached the group stage. That should be something we celebrate – instead it becomes a problem. Now it's even worse for us because of this amateurish behaviour, with not having a proactive plan. What needs to change is the approach to Champions League football. It is not good enough to blame it on UEFA because everyone across Europe has had the same information for a long time, and the only one that hasn't acted on that information is the WSL."

• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  While playing a league game and then a Champions League match in the space of two days is far from ideal, the right decision may have been made to postpone it. But this could have been handled a whole lot better, especially as Chelsea's game with United was a sell-out and was picked for Sky Sports coverage.

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  WHAT NEXT?

  While Chelsea and United are not playing in the WSL this weekend, Eidevall's Arsenal host Everton in a battle between fourth and 11th in the table. A win could take the Gunners top of the table if results go their way.

Nottingham Forest have endured a superb upturn in form under Sean Dyche over the last few weeks after the manager took the reins from Ange Postecoglou.

The Englishman has reinstalled a defensive solidity back into the first-team squad, as seen by the club’s recent upturn in form in the Premier League.

His side have only lost twice in his eight games in the role, with his Red managing to keep four clean sheets in the process – including one against Liverpool at Anfield.

The Reds may have lost 2-0 to Brighton and Hove Albion over the weekend, but it’s merely a bump in the road, especially considering the excellent results since his arrival.

However, with the January transfer window rapidly approaching, numerous players have already appeared on their radar to try and bolster the ranks for the remainder of the campaign.

Forest’s hunt for new additions in the January window

In recent weeks, a whole host of players have been touted with a move to join Forest, but Brighton’s Jack Hinshelwood stands out as one of the most consistent players touted with a transfer.

It was reported that Dyche’s side saw the 20-year-old as their primary target for the winter window, but it was unclear about how much a deal would set Evangelos Marinakis back.

However, it seems as though the youngster won’t be departing the AMEX this window, with Fabian Hurzeler’s men not entertaining any offers for his signature.

He’s not the only player currently being considered by the Reds at present, with Inter Milan star Stefan de Vrij another player currently being considered by the club at present.

According to Football Insider, Dyche’s side are keen on a move to land the Dutch international, with the player having just six months left on his deal at the San Siro.

They also state that the board are in the market for added defensive reinforcements in the winter window, which could make the 33-year-old the perfect target.

Why Forest’s latest target would be Milenkovic 2.0

Signing centre-backs from Serie A hasn’t been alien to Forest over recent seasons, with Nikola Milenkovic joining the club from Fiorentina in the summer of 2024.

The Serbian international joined for just £12m, with such a deal being one of the best deals in the club’s history – as seen by his immediate impact in the Premier League last campaign.

He featured in all but one game last campaign, even scoring five times and registering two assists – showcasing his impressive ability at both ends of the pitch.

The 28-year-old managed to win the club’s Player of the Season award in 2024/25, helping the Reds secure European football for the first time in 30 years.

This campaign, he’s still managed to be a key component in the side’s backline, featuring in every minute of the league season and offering the defensive solidity needed in Dyche’s system.

He’s often partnered Murillo at the heart of the defence, but Morato covered his compatriot against the Seagulls at the weekend – even producing a huge mistake which contributed to the defeat.

Such a scenario has no doubt led to rumours over a move for De Vrij in the coming months, which could see a repeat of the deal that saw Milenkovic move to the East Midlands.

The Dutchman, who earns £118k-per-week, has only made two appearances so far this campaign, but he has produced some remarkable stats which could see him thrive in the Premier League.

De Vrij, who’s been dubbed “sensational” by journalist Nima Roodsari, has completed 94% of the passes he’s completed, whilst also completing 100% of the dribbles he’s attempted.

Such numbers reflect the centre-back’s talent with the ball at his feet – something which is extremely important within the current philosophy at the City Ground.

Without the ball, he’s been just as impressive in Italy’s top division, as seen by his tally of two tackles and 5.5 duels won per 90 for Cristian Chivu’s Inter Milan squad.

Other numbers, such as 3.5 aerials won per 90, subsequently achieving a success rate of 60%, showcase his dominance out of possession – matching Milenkovic’s talents in the Premier League in recent years.

It’s unclear how much a deal for the Dutchman would cost in the upcoming window, but he certainly could offer an experienced and immediate option at the back.

Should he reach the levels produced by Milenkovic in Nottingham, there’s no reason why De Vrij could make himself a fan-favourite in the hunt for European success come the end of the campaign.

Perfect for Anderson: Nottingham Forest make £21m PL star their top target

Nottingham Forest have their eyes on another Premier League star ahead of the January transfer window.

By
Ethan Lamb

Nov 27, 2025

Tata Martino has explained how Lionel Messi’s presence at Inter Miami has “raised expectations”, with wins now expected rather than longed for.

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• Argentine moved to Florida in 2023
• Inspired first trophy win for the Herons
• Sights now locked on landing two more

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Eight-time Ballon d’Or winner Messi made his way to the United States in the summer of 2023. David Beckham and the rest of the Herons’ board were able to put a stunning deal in place that allowed an all-time great to chase the American dream in Florida.

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Messi inspired a historic League Cup triumph within weeks of his arrival and has Inter Miami back in the hunt for major honours this season – with the Argentine superstar nursing his way back from a couple of injuries.

• WHAT MARTINO SAID

  Success is now demanded at Chase Stadium, with head coach Martino – who arrived alongside Messi when the Herons were rooted to the foot of the Eastern Conference – telling reporters of how quickly the mindset in Miami has changed: “We were a team that habitually lost for years, and now, we are a team that habitually wins, and that raises expectations. It should be noted that we have worked very hard to change the perception of this team, and we’ve done it having to use many different line-ups due to injuries and national team duty.”

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  WHAT NEXT FOR MESSI AND INTER MIAMI?

  Inter Miami are one victory away from claiming the Supporters’ Shield in 2024, while they remain favourites for many to land the MLS Cup. Messi and Co can, after three successive draws, complete the first part of that trophy double on Wednesday when taking in a trip to the Columbus Crew.