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USMNT winger Emmanuel Sabbi is on fire in Ligue 1 with Le Havre, after netting a brace at the weekend to defeat second-place Nice 3-1.

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Sabbi scores brace for Le HavreShares how French side have welcomed himWants to further USMNT careerGetty ImagesWHAT HAPPENED?

Speaking to AmericanSoccerNow, Sabbi opened up on the success he is having in France with the club, on making his USMNT debut in 2023 and what the future will hold for him. The 26-year-old says it was a "dream come true" to break through on the national stage, and now with the support of all at the club behind him, it's only uphill from here.

AdvertisementWHAT SABBI SAID ABOUT PLAYING FOR LE HAVRE

“It was really just joy and excitement to give the fans what they’ve been so patiently waiting for,” Sabbi said. “It’s an amazing group, they help me everyday and the fans are so supportive and it was an even better feeling to get me first and second for the club at home in front of our amazing supporters. Everything I’ve been dreaming of and working towards and just want to continue to work and get better everyday I’m blessed to be on the pitch.

"It’s been amazing – the weather, people, club, town, and teammates have all been great,” he continued. “My teammates have welcomed me with open arms into the team as one of their own; the staff and players are also great and down to earth. The town and fans are wonderful especially at Stade Oceane.”

GettyWHAT SABBI SAID ABOUT REPRESENTING THEUSMNT

“It was a very exciting and humbling moment for me and my family,” Sabbi said of his USMNT debut in 2023. “I had been working all my life for that moment. I believe God’s timing is the best, so I will continue to work on my game and help my team. Hopefully it brings points, goals, and assists and I believe I’ll get my chance when the time is right. Making the USMNT has been my dream and goal since I touched a ball as a young boy – to be able to play on the senior national team and succeed.”

“My goals are to continue to grow, assist my teammates and to hopefully have the nets ringing,” he added. “Likewise, I intend on working hard for the club and fans. We have a solid team, very good as a group and it will definitely continue to show. I believe in these guys and we believe in ourselves as a collective.”

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THE BIGGER PICTURE

Sabbi is one of many wingers in the USMNT pool, and it will be tough to crack in, especially with the likes of Christian Pulisic, Tim Weah, Kevin Paredes, Malik Tillman and Gio Reyna ahead of him. However, not one player is like-for-like, so Sabbi could bring a different identity to the pitch if coach Gregg Berhalter so desires.

Victorian team-mate Peter Handscomb is also willing to keep wicket “if it’s good for team balance” in Bangladesh

ESPNcricinfo staff15-Aug-2017Australia allrounder Glenn Maxwell has altered his bowling technique, shortening his delivery stride to generate more dip and drift, ahead of the tour of Bangladesh. He has done so in a bid to strengthen his case as the squad’s fourth genuine spin-bowling option, behind Nathan Lyon, Mitchell Swepson and Ashton Agar.”I’ve shortened my bowling stride a little bit to make sure that I’ve got that drop on the ball and that I’m getting the shape that I actually want,” Maxwell said at Australia’s training camp in Darwin. “It’s obviously one of my skills that I can bring to the side, and something that’s going to help me try and nail down that No. 6 position, having that extra string to my bow.”Maxwell is Australia’s incumbent No. 6 after his comeback century against India in Ranchi in March – his first Test since 2014. However, Maxwell bowled just six overs in two Tests on spin-conducive surfaces in that series.”I could understand why I wasn’t bowling at certain stages,” Maxwell said. “I suppose coming into this tour, I’m hoping that I can show that I’ve put a lot of work into my bowling and I can get that opportunity.”Australia are likely to go in with two specialist spinners and Maxwell, but could consider the option of three genuine spinners if the pitches favour spin from the outset. To open that spot, Maxwell’s Victorian team-mate Peter Handscomb could be asked to keep wicket. Matthew Wade is the designated wicketkeeper in Australia’s squad for Bangladesh.”I guess it’s an interesting one. I was doing some white-ball keeping for Yorkshire in England as well,” Handscomb said. “Ultimately I’m happy to do it if it’s good for team balance, if it opens up another position for a batter or a bowler to come into the side. But first and foremost I’ve always said that batting is my No.1.”In the tour of India earlier this year, Handscomb scored 198 runs in four Tests at an average of 28.28, including a match-saving 72 not out in the third Test in Ranchi. “I felt really good in India, obviously, like I said, getting starts, getting into the game, and then just not converting as many times as I would have hoped to.”

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details1:33

Tait: Pakistan save their best for last

If the 2017 Champions Trophy were to have had another two games, Pakistan might be scoring 750 and bowling teams out for negative 12 by the end of it. Even for a side that is routinely unpredictable, even for a team with a long history of starting slowly then making a white-hot charge through a tournament, what Pakistan have pulled off here is some diamond-studded, galactic-scale nonsense.

Award winners

Golden ball: Hasan Ali (13 wickets at 13.69)
Player of the Tournament: Hasan Ali
Golden Bat: Shikhar Dhawan (338 runs at 67.60)

They have not just defied logic, they have spat in logic’s face, questioned the moral inclinations of its parents, kicked it in the shins, kneed it in the groin, strangled it unconscious, then shoved it into the mud and set its trousers on fire.Remember how, before the match (how long ago that now seems), the cricket world thought India’s batsmen would put the match beyond Pakistan if they scored 300? Ha. What actually happened was that newbie opener Fakhar Zaman, playing his fourth international innings, hit 114 from 106 balls in one of the highest-pressure cricket matches of the decade, before a bristling middle order grew the total to 338 for 4, with the kind of power and skill which not even their mothers would have suspected they possessed.Remember how the cricket world thought the key period in the contest would be the middle overs in India’s innings? In actual fact, Mohammad Amir would decapitate the India innings in a scintillating opening burst that brought him the scalps of each of the top three, and then by the middle of the 14th over, India would be 54 for 5, the trophy basically handed over.Thank the cricket gods that Azhar Ali dropped Virat Kohli at slip in the third over, before Kohli was caught the very next ball. Thank heavens that Pakistan’s opening stand of 128 was brought to an end by a running mix-up, whereby both batsmen wound up on the same side of the pitch. Without such moments of incompetence, there is no chance we could plausibly accept this is the same side that lost their opening match to India by 124 runs.The winning margin here was 180, just for the record. But it may as well have been 180 million, so ridiculous were Pakistan in this match.It was also impossible, at times, to believe that India were the side playing their fourth major final in six years. The first mistake – the error that bust open the flood gates – was Jasprit Bumrah overstepping in the fourth over to reprieve Fakhar, who had edged the ball to the keeper on three. Soon, India were a mess of uncharacteristic misfields. By the end of the innings they had delivered 13 wides and three no-balls.And perhaps no top order in the world could have survived Amir today, but the likes of Yuvraj Singh and MS Dhoni – big-daddy, big-match players – fell away with surprising meekness. Hardik Pandya swatted six sixes off spin and got himself 76 off 43 balls, giving India – six down now – a microscopic speck of hope. But then he was run out when a less-fluent Ravindra Jadeja refused to sacrifice his wicket. Pandya left the field breathing fire. That about encapsulated India’s day.Not that fortune smiled on them either: at one point, in the death overs, a ball had even hit Mohammad Hafeez’s off stump, and failed to dislodge the bail.Beyond Amir’s spectacular opening burst – in which Rohit Sharma was trapped in front by a seaming ball and Virat Kohli sent a thick leading edge to point – Shadab Khan insisted on an excellent review that found Yuvraj to be plumb in front of the stumps. Then after the rapid 80-run stand between Pandya and Jadeja, Hasan Ali wiped out the tail, finishing with match-figures of 3 for 19 (second only to Amir’s 3 for 16), and a table-topping haul of 13 wickets for the tournament. This, after he had missed the first game. India were all out in the 31st over.Hasan Ali was Named Player of the tournament•Getty Images

But it was the batting that had set Pakistan’s victory up, and of all the surprises they have sprung this tournament, a snowballing innings such as this, in which only one batsman was dismissed for a score of less than 45, seems the most incredible. This was not an innings, really. It was a fantasy.Even after Fakhar was reprieved by that no-ball in the fourth over, the wisps of madness that have defined Pakistan’s campaign were sprinkled right through his knock. Thick edges and mistimed shots off bouncers would become almost reliably fruitful for him – one particularly woeful leg-side heave in the 32nd over landing safe, just beyond midwicket. Constantly, Fakhar got himself into awkward spots and bad positions, and unfailingly, he would find a way to go through with the shot, and survive.But there were also flashes of inspiration and the roaring ambition of Pakistan’s campaign. Uncowed by the near misses, he ran down the pitch to smite India’s quicks to the leg side. He flitted about his crease to manufacture shots against the spinners. With no little help from Azhar, he heaped pressure on key members of the opposition attack.Bumrah was never allowed to recover from the shock of that early missed wicket, going for 24 in his first three-over spell, and 12 off the following two overs. R Ashwin was clattered around almost clinically in his initial spell – this mostly by Azhar – and he went for 28 from his first four overs as well. For the remainder of the innings, both bowlers struggled with their lines and lengths – Bumrah delivering too many hittable length deliveries, Ashwin bowling too predictably straight.It was after Azhar’s dismissal, for which his partner can take most of the blame, that Fakhar raised the tempo to an extent that set Pakistan on track to their eventual score. He hit 15 runs off one Jadeja over (the 26th of the innings), then went after Ashwin next over as well. Having been 56 off 73 balls at one stage, he hit the remaining 44 runs he needed for a hundred off the next 19 balls. The off-balance sweep for four off Ashwin was a fitting way for this innings to go to triple figures.Fakhar was out soon after, leaving Pakistan at 200 for 2 at the start of the 34th over, but Babar ensured the party would carry on. He was regal square on either side of the wicket, and in a particularly memorable sequence, slapped Pandya past point, then cracked him to the square-leg boundary next ball. Mohammad Hafeez and Imad Wasim then took the baton from Babar, and together, added 71 off the final 45 balls of the innings – Hafeez especially effective as he hit three sixes and four fours in all, to wind up with an unbeaten 57 off 37 deliveries.I mean, who even knew Hafeez was capable of such things? Did he? Sarfraz Ahmed, in his first major assignment as captain, played his part virtually perfectly, ceding his batting position to men who went on to score rapidly, then managing his bowlers astutely in the early overs.Bhuvneshwar Kumar, and Hardik Pandya delivered good spells, but India’s remaining bowling figures did not make for pretty reading. Bumrah, Ashwin and Jadeja all went at seven an over or higher.There is no shame, though, in losing to a Pakistan side in the kind of nuclear form that if ever harnessed, could solve the planet’s energy needs for centuries. There were a few areas that India could have brushed up, but nothing, perhaps, that might have changed the result.

Wayne Parnell has been included in Kent’s squad for Friday’s Royal London match against Sussex despite a health scare earlier this week.Parnell, the South African seamer who is with the club on a short-term stint as an overseas player, left the pitch feeling unwell after bowling four overs during Tuesday’s match against Somerset. He reported an elevated heart rate and feeling light-headed.While he was keen to return to the action after a few minutes, the club’s medical team insisted he sit out the remainder of the game as a precaution. Parnell was hospitalised in 2013 after complaining of similar symptoms while playing for South Africa A against India A. Subsequent tests revealed no long-term problem, with the issue instead put down to a virus.He did not go to hospital on Tuesday and instead travelled back to Kent on the team bus at the end of the game.He saw a doctor on Wednesday and underwent a series of basic tests. The club insist that some reports of his condition have been “greatly exaggerated” and suggested that they would not have named him in the squad for Friday’s game if there was any risk to his welfare.Cricket South Africa have been kept fully informed of Parnell’s condition and condoned his return to action.It is not certain he will play on Friday, though. He will undergo a fitness test ahead of the game before any final decision is made.

Manchester United boss Erik Ten Hag may look to sign another midfielder if he can finalise the addition of Chelsea playmaker Mason Mount, according to journalist Dean Jones.

What's the latest transfer news involving Mason Mount?

As per The Guardian, Manchester United have agreed personal terms with Mount over a prospective move to Old Trafford and they are expected to win the race to sign the England international.

Mount's £80k-a-week contract at Stamford Bridge is set to expire next summer and Chelsea co-owner Todd Boehly is keen to ship out players who have entered the last year of their deal in west London; however, both clubs have yet to come to an agreement on a fee for the 24-year-old.

In 2022/23, the Portsmouth-born midfielder made 35 appearances in all competitions for Chelsea, registering three goals and six assists, as per Transfermarkt.

In an interview with GIVEMESPORT, journalist Ben Jacobs detailed that Manchester United will be 'disciplined' in their approach to try and acquire Mount and will aim to land his services for under £60 million.

Speaking to Give Me Sport, journalist Jones thinks that Manchester United may also target bringing in another midfield signing this summer alongside Mount at Old Trafford, though he hasn't heard anything to suggest that Fiorentina midfielder Sofyan Amrabat, who has been linked with the Red Devils recently, could be the man to accompany Mount.

Jones told Give Me Sport: "I haven't really had anything on Amrabat and Manchester United, so we'll have to see what ends up happening. He's definitely going to be a player that is talked about in the coming weeks. It'll be interesting, from Manchester United's point of view, what they end up doing with their midfield. Mason Mount is a figure that they're looking into as a priority at the moment because of his circumstances and they know that there'll be other teams trying to get a deal for him if they don't complete it. Beyond that, you're also still missing that piece a bit deeper back. I'm definitely still expecting Manchester United to go in for another midfielder."

What other midfielders have Manchester United been linked with?

As per The Sun, Manchester United are keen on a swoop to try and sign West Ham United captain Declan Rice this summer; however, it is believed that his preference would be to move to Premier League runners-up Arsenal in the window.

RMC Sport via The Daily Mail claim that Juventus midfielder Adrien Rabiot is also on the radar at Old Trafford and the Red Devils have made a 'provisional offer' to the France international, who is available on a free transfer.

The Athletic have reported that Everton midfielder Amadou Onana is also someone who has gained admiration from Manchester United, though he is not at the top of their priority list.

Either way, Manchester United look set for a busy few months on the recruitment front and Ten Hag may look to bolster his engine room with a couple of quality arrivals ahead of 2023/24.

Arsenal may prioritise spending money on alternative areas of their squad rather than paying a significant fee for Southampton midfielder Romeo Lavia, according to journalist Paul Brown.

What's the latest transfer news involving Romeo Lavia?

According to Fabrizio Romano, Arsenal are keen on bringing Lavia to the Emirates Stadium this summer as Mikel Arteta eyes midfield reinforcements.

Speaking to his Twitter following, Romano delivered an update on the state of play surrounding Lavia's future, stating:

"Arsenal have concrete and strong interest in Romeo Lavia. Relationship is excellent with his camp — talks already took place. Timing will be crucial as Chelsea remain interested. Man United appreciate Lavia but still not advancing. City buy back clause only valid 2024."

In April, Football Insider revealed that it may cost around £45 million for any interested suitors to land the services of the 19-year-old enforcer this off-season, with Chelsea also said to be eager to sign Lavia at Stamford Bridge.

Lavia's buy-back clause that Manchester City have control over from 2024 onwards is rumoured to be set at around £40 million, according to The Daily Mail.

Football London report that the Gunners are also keen on sealing a deal to acquire Rice from West Ham United as a midfield reshape takes priority in north London ahead of next term.

Speaking to Football FanCast, journalist Brown thinks that due to their pursuit of Rice, any deal for Lavia to join him at Arsenal may fall apart due to their transfer priorities likely involving bolstering different positions rather than securing another midfielder.

Brown told FFC: "I don't think Arsenal will be paying big money for another midfielder if they sign Declan Rice; they have other areas of the pitch they're also trying to improve in. It entirely depends really on what sort of price they'd be quoted. I think at the moment, Lavia is valued at around £45 million and that's probably a bit too high for Arsenal."

Would Romeo Lavia be a good signing for Arsenal?

Lavia is a talented young midfielder who looks to have a bright future in the Premier League and Arsenal may be the ideal environment for him to continue his development moving forward.

In 2022/23, the Belgium international made 34 appearances in all competitions for Southampton, registering one goal and a solitary assist, as per Transfermarkt.

As per WhoScored, Lavia showed maturity for his age in the middle of the park and was a reliable presence in possession for his current employers, maintaining a pass success rate of 86.4% in the English top flight.

FBRef also take into account that Lavia excelled in comparison to his positional peers across Europe's top five divisions regarding blocks, as he has made an average total of 1.90 per 90 minutes over the last 365 days, putting him in the fourth percentile for this metric.

Arsenal have established themselves as a breeding ground for elite talent and Lavia could be the next on their exciting conveyor belt if both parties can make progress in negotiations.

Newcastle United are “informed” on the situation of Napoli defender Kim Min-Jae ahead of the summer, according to journalist Fabrizio Romano.

Is Kim Min-Jae leaving Napoli?

Since joining from Fenerbahce last summer, the centre-back has been a regular feature of Luciano Spalletti’s former side, making 45 appearances across all competitions during his debut season at the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium.

In his CaughtOffside Daily Briefing last month, Romano stated that the Magpies had sent scouts to watch the 26-year-old and suggested that Eddie Howe and Dan Ashworth could compete with Manchester United in the race to bring him to the Premier League.

Journalist Raimondo De Magistris has since claimed that the Red Devils have offered the South Korean a “huge salary” so the northeast outfit will have to act fast, but with his contract including a £52m release clause that’s set to become active next month, anything can still happen.

Are Newcastle signing Kim?

Taking to Twitter, Romano revealed that Newcastle are keeping close tabs on Kim as they weigh up a potential hijack this summer. He wrote:

“Manchester United have Kim Min-jae on their list since October and remains the main target. Release clause, only valid in July as United are in contact with agents; Newcastle are informed too. Understand Man Utd are also monitoring the French market for plan B options.”

Could Kim be a good addition for Howe?

Newcastle obviously hold a clear interest in Kim to be considering a swoop during the upcoming window, and having been dubbed a real “leader” by former professional Park Ji-Sung, the centre-back putting pen to paper would be a massive coup for PIF.

The Serie A champion averaged 3.5 clearances and 2.6 aerial wins per league game last season, alongside recording a 91% pass success rate, via WhoScored, which was higher than any of the black and white striped players, highlighting his calmness and composure on the ball.

The Nike-sponsored ace is also capable of contributing to his team’s efforts at the opposite end of the pitch having clocked up four league goal contributions (two goals and the same number of assists) in 35 appearances last term.

Finally, Kim has spent the majority of his career playing in the heart of the defence but he also has the versatility to operate out wide at right-back so he would be a great option for Howe to have at his disposal should rotation be needed as a result of an injury crisis, in a similar way to how the gaffer has used Dan Burn this season.

West Ham United have been linked to a forward ahead of the summer transfer window, with a busy summer expected at the London Stadium.

The primary focus until the break is on the Europa Conference League final, which takes place on June 7th as David Moyes’ side face Fiorentina in the bid to win the club’s first European silverware since 1965.

Despite the hype surrounding the historic final, the Irons have a lot to improve on ahead of next season, having only mathematically survived relegation from the Premier League last weekend.

Most of the focus on West Ham’s transfer news has revolved around the future of midfielder Declan Rice, who is expected to be snatched by Arsenal this summer, however, it’s not just outgoings expected in east London.

News reported this week has revealed the club’s potential plans to bring a forward from the Bundesliga to the club, in a bid to add depth to the squad ahead of the next campaign.

What’s the latest on Alassane Plea to West Ham United?

As reported by Foot Mercato earlier this week, West Ham are reportedly one of the clubs interested in signing Borussia Monchengladbach forward Alassane Plea this summer.

The 30-year-old is wanted by former club Olympique Lyon, however, the report states that the French outfit should expect some rivalry to sign the attacker from the Premier League.

West Ham, along with Crystal Palace and Fulham have “already made some contact” with the player’s representatives, with his value believed to be in the region of €10m – €12m (£8m – £10m).

What could Alassane Plea bring to West Ham United?

Hailed as being “versatile, quick and clever” by Monchengladbach’s former director of sport Max Eberl, the forward could offer a lot to West Ham.

While the Hammers already have a kitted-out left-wing department, which is Plea’s dominant position, the forward has been used through the middle before as a striker, which could make him an attractive player in Moyes’ system.

Current strike options at the club are Michail Antonio and Danny Ings, one being the club’s top goalscorer this season but the other in Ings finding the net just twice in the Premier League since arriving in January.

When comparing the form of both Ings and Plea over the past year, it’s clear to see why the Frenchman is reportedly on West Ham’s radar.

The £61k-per-week ace offers a lot more to an attack than goals, securing nine assists in 20 Bundesliga starts this season, showing his eye for a pass and instinctual nature in the final third.

Having Antonio firing when leading the line could allow Moyes to use the Frenchman as a decoy or as a rotating striker to add competition to the 33-year-old.

The 30-year-old has a lot more in his locker creatively than Ings, as shown through FBref, with the Borussia star averaging 4.67 progressive passes to the Englishman’s 1.26 per 90.

The Lille-born forward also averages two progressive carries per 90 to Ings’ 1.38, showing his ability to float around the attack rather than remain as a stationary striker.

One of the most prominent areas of his game is his playmaking, with him ranking in the top 3% of players in Europe’s top five leagues for his rate of assists, averaging a huge 0.46 assists per 90 – as per FBref.

Moyes could utilise the forwards’ strengths in a way more useful to West Ham than those that Ings portrays, and as such would be a greater signing.

R Ashwin has said that he believes patience will be the key for him and India’s other bowlers on the slow tracks of the West Indies

ESPNcricinfo staff13-Jul-20163:28

‘We are prepared for the long haul’ – Ashwin

Offspinner R Ashwin believes patience will be the key for him and India’s other bowlers on the slow tracks of the West Indies. He would have to be “as boring as possible”, Ashwin said, stubbornly sticking to good lines and lengths to get the better of the batsmen during the four-Test series that begins on July 21.”I’m sure it’s going to be challenging because of the kind of wickets, the kind of heat … From whatever I saw in the last [warm-up] game, the wickets were pretty slow,” Ashwin told . “I’m sure I’ll have to be as boring as possible in terms of trying to plug away all day long.”Ashwin did not play India’s first warm-up game, but said he learnt a lot from watching legspinner Amit Mishra – who picked up four wickets – bowl. “[The pitches are] getting slower. If the wickets are going to be tailor-made for us, if it starts spinning, then we come into our own. But until then, it’s all about patience.”The other day you saw Mishy bowl for about 15-16 overs without any wickets, but once he got a breakthrough, he started breaking through at regular intervals. So that’s what we have to look for – especially the first couple of days or probably even three days of the Test match, there is not going to be a lot in it for the spinners. There might be a little bit of bounce or little bit of slowness in the wicket that you can exploit, but it’s got to be pretty boring lines and lengths and keep teasing with your flight.”Ashwin said watching new head coach Anil Kumble bowl in the nets was already benefitting him. He had spoken to Kumble, he said, and knew what the coach expected of him. “He has brought in a lot of meticulousness among the group. There is some very good discipline in the nets. The batsmen get out to the nets at the perfect time for a start, and that’s not been going around for some time [laughs].”And he [Kumble] has already started bowling in the nets, which is something I pick out notes from. So far, he has provided me with a lot of confidence and a lot of responsibility. It’s been more of giving me the license to try and express myself, which is something I really relish. We’ve had a very open chat and he has already told me what he’s looking forward to from me, and I have already told him what I’m looking forward to him teaching me. “With captain Virat Kohli largely preferring a combination that features five bowlers, Ashwin’s batting could also come into play for India. He had been working on it with batting coach Sanjay Bangar, Ashwin said. “That [batting] is something I work very hard on. I have set some goals with the coaching staff, as to what I want to achieve – not just in terms of numbers, but in terms of how correct I can be, how much more solid I can become as a batter.”And that’s a process, because the first phase is to not give your wicket away and then you can accelerate – I’ve got the shots to do it. Sanjay has worked day in and day out with me, and, at last, he seems to be happy with how it’s shaping up.”India play a second warm-up game in Basseterre from July 14, over three days, before heading to Antigua for the first Test.

A key feature in Celtic's recent rise during the Ange Postecoglou regime has been experienced goalkeeper, Joe Hart, with the veteran gem having enjoyed a real career revival at Parkhead over the last 18 months or so.

Having been cast out by Tottenham Hotspur after enduring a difficult few years following his Manchester City exit in 2018, the former England number one was "down on his luck" prior to joining the Old Firm giants in the summer of 2021, as per pundit Alex McLeish.

As it has proved, however, the Shrewsbury native has proven himself a "really great signing" having been "transformed" in the green and white jersey, as per McLeish, having kept 43 clean sheets in 97 games for the Hoops to date.

Now 36, however, and with just over a year to run on his existing deal in Glasgow, it could well be time for the Scottish champions to consider finding a long-term replacement for Hart this summer, with pundit Frank McAvennie having already predicated that the ageing 'keeper will be a "backup next year".

Postecoglou and co could have potentially identified a dream successor to the 75-cap ace in the form of Liverpool rock, Caoimhin Kelleher, with reports last month having suggested that the Bhoys are among the clubs interested in the Republic of Ireland international.

While the suggestion is that the 24-year-old could cost as much as £30m if a permanent deal is to be agreed, transfer guru Fabrizio Romano has also revealed that a loan exit could be on the cards, with the £10k-per-week man looking for "regular minutes" elsewhere.

Would Kelleher be a good signing for Celtic?

Although Kelleher has been forced to play second fiddle to Brazilian superstar, Alisson, at Anfield in recent years, the Cork native has been handed the chance to impress in cup competitions of late, racking up 20 appearances across all fronts since his debut back in 2019.

The 6 foot 2 ace was notably a vital figure in the Merseysiders' Carabao Cup success last season after featuring four times in the competition, notably starting and starring in the shootout victory over Chelsea in the final, having netted what proved to be the winning penalty.

Although chances have been few and far between for the emerging ace of late, the young stopper has certainly made a strong impression on manager Jurgen Klopp, with the German hailing him as "exceptional" after saving three penalties in the League Cup win over Derby County earlier this season.

The Irishman was also praised as an "exceptional goalkeeper" by national team boss Stephen Kenny, albeit with the ten-cap ace seemingly in need of more regular game time if he is to establish himself as the first-choice pick for his country, ahead of Southampton's Gavin Bazunu.

As such, a move to Paradise could be just what is needed for young Kelleher to finally be able to blossom as the starting pick at a club, with that possible swoop allowing Postecoglou to acquire an ideal replacement for the ageing Hart in his side.