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Manchester United have been dealt a major injury blow ahead of their upcoming Premier League fixture.

What’s the latest?

In recent comments cited by the Manchester United website, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer revealed that the 24-year-old midfielder will miss the clash with Wolverhampton Wanderers on Sunday, as the Scotland international has undergone surgery on his groin.

The United manager said: “Scott has undergone surgery for an ongoing groin injury that was causing significant pain when playing. Having tried all other treatment options in pre-season, surgery was deemed necessary to resolve the issue. We hope to have him back soon.”

Solskjaer will be gutted

Considering just how important a player McTominay has become in the United first team in recent seasons, the fact that the Red Devils will be without the services of the midfielder for what is sure to be a difficult trip to Molineux on Sunday will undoubtedly have left Solskjaer gutted.

Indeed, the versatile £31.5m-rated man’s form for United last season illustrates his importance to the side, with the 24-year-old scoring four goals, registering one assist and creating three big chances over his 32 Premier League appearances, as well as making an average of 0.9 interceptions, 1.6 tackles, 1.3 clearances and winning 5.2 duels per game.

These returns saw the £20k-per-week Scot earn a seasonal SofaScore match rating of 7.08, ranking him as Solskjaer’s fifth-best performer in the top flight of English football last season.

As such, McTominay’s importance in the United side is clear for all to see, with his absence from the first team – the predicted length of which, at present, has not been revealed by the club – undoubtedly coming as a huge blow to the Norwegian manager, who will have to find a way to work around the midfielder’s absence for the trip to Wolves on Sunday.

In other news: Fabrizio Romano drops Man Utd claim which will be music to the ears of fans

An update has emerged on Newcastle United target Ross Barkley, regarding Chelsea’s plans for him this summer.

What’s the talk?

According to The Chronicle, Newcastle are interested in a deal to sign Chelsea midfielder Ross Barkley before the end of the transfer window.

The report claims that he is available, with the England international seemingly not a part of Thomas Tuchel’s plans moving forward.

Imagine him and Shelvey

Newcastle must pounce on this opportunity to land Barkley from Chelsea, with the Premier League giants ready to let him go this window. Mike Ashley should sanction either a loan or permanent deal for the midfielder, as he could improve Steve Bruce’s side by bringing some added quality to the squad.

Bruce lined up with a 4-3-3 formation at times last season and he could create a formidable midfield trio if Barkley comes through the door.

Isaac Hayden, or a potential new signing if the club signs a defensive enforcer, could sit in the deeper role to screen the defence with Jonjo Shelvey and Barkley providing creativity on the ball in front of him.

Shelvey enjoyed an impressive 2020/21 campaign, as he averaged a WhoScored rating of 6.80 in 29 starts for Newcastle in the Premier League. He provided 1.2 key passes per game, showing that he has the ability to create chances from central midfield with his passing range.

Barkley, meanwhile, averaged a WhoScored rating of 6.75 in 18 starts for Villa on loan – although six substitute appearances dragged his score down. He managed 1.2 dribbles and 1.6 key passes per game, which means that he could add further quality on top of what Shelvey already gives Bruce in midfield. The pair could help Newcastle break open defences and increase the Magpies’ chances of winning tight games.

Newcastle legend Alan Shearer has given his endorsement to the £100k-per-week maestro previously, labelling him as a match-winner. He told The BBC:

He said: “Ross seems to have found a system that suits him and a manager who wants to play him. This is exactly what he needs.

“He now needs to find the consistency that has been lacking in his game because this is a crucial stage of his career. Ross has been spoken about in glowing terms since he was very young but he is 27 now and needs to deliver on that potential.

“At his best he is match-winner and Villa is a great platform for him.”

Newcastle should be doing all they can to get the England international through the door before the season starts.

AND in other news, Newcastle leading race for “incredible” £20k-p/w beast, he could replace Fernandez…

Dale Steyn, the South African fast bowler, has been struggling with an illness and is ruled out of next week’s one-dayers against Kenya

Cricinfo staff23-Oct-2008
Dale Steyn is ill and has been ruled out of the two ODIs against Kenya © AFP
Dale Steyn, the South African fast bowler, has been struggling with an illness and is ruled out of next week’s one-dayers against Kenya. He said he “will possibly be considered again” for the matches against Bangladesh which start early next month.Steyn has been suffering from severe headaches since mid-September, according to a report on the website.”It was so bad that I could hardly get out of bed. I also became terribly nauseous,” Steyn, who has lost four kilos over the last month, said. “Until now the doctors have not been able to determine exactly what the cause of the headaches is.”South Africa have a home-and-away series against Australia beginning in December, a contest they have not won since they were re-admitted into cricket in 1991. Steyn, who was named the ICC’s Test player of the year last month, is expected to spearhead the South African pace attack and is crucial to their plans.”That is why I believe it’s necessary rather to take things easy for now and not to take a chance against Kenya,” he said. “I want to be at my best against Australia. Since the series in England I haven’t bowled a single ball.”

Aston Villa are expected to land Manchester United defender Axel Tuanzebe on a season-long loan, according to Sky Sports.

Well-known Villa page @villareport shared the news on the defender, which left many Villa supporters delighted.

Sky Sports claimed live on Wednesday that Tuanzebe is set to sign a one-year contract extension at Old Trafford before moving to the Midlands for a third loan spell.

The 23-year-old spent the second half of the 2017/18 season at Villa Park and the entirety of the 2018/19 campaign, helping the club earn promotion to the Premier League.

He’s made a total of 35 appearances for Villa and it appears as if he will link up with Dean Smith once again on a temporary basis.

Tuanzebe looks set to become Villa’s fifth summer signing and will more than likely provide cover to Tyrone Mings and Ezri Konsa, while also having the ability to play at right-back if required.

Villa fans react

@villareport shared Sky Sports’ claim regarding Tuanzebe on Wednesday afternoon. This is what these Villa fans had to say in reply, with one ‘buzzing’.

“And the transfers are flowing in now”Credit: @will_avfc”Get in!”Credit: @Schlippertysch1″Yessss”Credit: @Shy_Rhy”Buzzing for this one”Credit: @CozzaAVFC”All over this”Credit: @Shans_louisee”Class backup! Good move for everyone”Credit: @VillaJaake

In other news: ‘All happening’, ‘Alongside JWP?’ – Many Aston Villa fans react as ‘great’ news is confirmed. 

Ashley Mallett, the former Test offspinner, has warned Australia against relying too heavily on their fast bowlers in the Test series in India

Cricinfo staff23-Sep-2008
Bryce McGain will have an important role to play in India, according to Ashley Mallett and Kerry O’Keeffe © Getty Images
Ashley Mallett, the former Test offspinner, has warned Australia against relying too heavily on their fast bowlers in the Test series in India. Australia have taken two uncapped slow men on the trip but they are expecting the bulk of the wickets to be taken by the pace attack of Brett Lee, Stuart Clark and Mitchell Johnson.However, Mallett said he would be very surprised if the pitches for the four Tests were not raging turners. Mallett is one of the few Australian spinners to have thrived in India, where he took 28 wickets at 19.10 in five Tests on the 1969-70 tour.”If they think they are going to win it with pace they won’t because the Indians are going to prepare absolute turners,” Mallett told . “From what I think might happen they will look at Australia’s attack and there are two inexperienced spinners so they will try to pit their two spinners against our two spinners.”India will be calling on the vast experience of Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh while for Australia, the Victoria legspinner Bryce McGain is likely to get the first chance as the specialist slow bowler. Tasmania’s offspinner Jason Krejza is also in the squad.”You never know, they are untried,” Mallett said. “McGain had a terrific season and the other guy, well figures-wise wasn’t that impressive but he does give it a bit of a rip so he has a real chance. But you never know, you throw a couple of guys in the deep end and you see what happens.”Kerry O’Keeffe, the former Australia legspinner, believes McGain, 36, has the potential to make a success of Test cricket in India. O’Keeffe worked with McGain at the Academy a decade ago and has been following his career ever since.”I’m still bullish about Bryce on those pitches but it’s going to be tough,” O’Keefe said in the . “I think he can do a job on particular pitches. He’s a terrific fella.”

Speaking live on air (via Football Daily), broadcast giant Sky Sports have now dropped a West Ham United takeover update.

The Lowdown: West Ham prospective buyers attempt swoop?

As first reported by the Daily Mail, a group of investors based in the United Kingdom have made a takeover bid for West Ham – reaching around £400 million.

Sources close to this development say the prospective takeover bid would’ve injected much-needed transfer funds into the club and hugely benefit manager David Moyes, all while transforming the surrounding area with outside investment.

After having their offer rejected by majority shareholder David Sullivan, the consortium which includes former QPR chief executive Philip Beard apparently remain determined to strike a deal.

The Latest: Sky Sports drop takeover update live on air…

Sky Sports, speaking live on air, have now dropped their own update after this development and shed light on the situation.

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According to the broadcaster, GSB still ‘do not want to sell’ and any interested party must prove they have the finances to take West Ham to the next level.

“West Ham’s owners have turned down an informal approach to buy the club,” they explained (via FD).

“The offer lead by the former QPR chief executive Philip Beard was rejected because it was vague and not in the best interests of the club we’re told.

“David Gold and David Sullivan bought West Ham in 2010 and have regularly been approached by prospective buyers, now we’re told they do not want to sell, and anyone wanting to make a bid would need the finances to take West Ham to the next level.”

The Verdict: Disappointing?

Friction between West Ham fans and the club’s owners is no secret and there have been large protests past seasons over their decision making and how the Hammers are run (Evening Standard).

In particular, a large section of fans were disappointed at West Ham’s progression since they were asked to leave their spiritual home of Upton Park for the London Stadium – with the board previously promising a world class team and failing to deliver (The Guardian).

While they have qualified for the Europa League group stages next campaign, it was arguably very unexpected given the lack of investment and more a real overachievement by manager David Moyes.

As such, there may be a fair number of Irons fans who are disappointed by this latest update from Sky.

In other news: West Ham in contact to sign 23 y/o, lucrative five-year contract already discussed…find out more here.

Everton have shown an interest in Manchester United’s Anthony Martial but his wages could put them off, according to a report from the Daily Star.

United want to offload Martial ‘as soon as possible’, with the arrival of Jadon Sancho at Old Trafford making him ‘surplus to requirements’.

The Red Devils have reportedly slapped a £50million price tag on the forward as they look to recoup some of their outlay on Sancho and prospective signing Raphael Varane.

Martial currently takes home £250,000 per week and potential suitors like Spurs, Everton, West Ham and Aston Villa are ‘not interested’ in making him a top earner.

Martial no longer wanted by United after loss of form

The Frenchman had enjoyed a fine 2019/20 campaign, recording 35 direct goal contributions (23 goals, 12 assists) in 48 appearances across all competitions.

Last season, his output fell to just seven goals, though he was injured for the final two months of the campaign (via Transfermarkt).

Fan feed Toffee TV relayed The Star’s claims, and here’s how supporters reacted, with one fan calling it ‘crazy’ to target a player on such huge wages.

These Everton fans warn against Martial signing

“Never ever rated this lad, he’s the worst striker United have”

Credit: @thbluenurse

“Crazy wages for a 25 year old that can’t even get into his own national team.”

Credit: @gbMKEFC

“Please god no , we’ve got enough dross without adding him !!!”

Credit: @bluebluetoe

“Don’t rate him, let’s look elsewhere”

Credit: @crewemole

“We don’t need another player out injured for half the season”

Credit: @RokitSkates

“Absolutely not”

Credit: @debbiewright197

In other news, Everton have also been warned against this transfer decision.

Canada Cup Four Nation 20/20 adjourned till October 2008

Cricinfo staff28-Jul-2008The Canada Cup Four Nation Twenty20 tournament, which was scheduled to be held in Toronto in August 2008, has been deferred. The Bangladesh Cricket Board, in a release on Monday, said the tournament has been adjourned till October 2008.Pakistan, Bangladesh, West Indies and Canada were supposed to participate in the tournament, which was organised by the PCB to fill up its calendar after the postponement of their home series against Australia. The tournament had initially faced problems with the backing out of the primary sponsors, but the board managed to bring in a Pakistan-based business house to finance the event.The dates for the competition, August 14-17, were announced on July 18 but a Cricket Canada (CC) spokesperson had told Cricinfo that they had not yet received a signed copy of the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) from the sponsors. “We have finalised an MOU with the event sponsors, and the CC is in a position to be able to sign that document,” said the spokesperson. “As of mid-day July 18 (Toronto time) the CC has not yet received a signed copy of the MOU from the event sponsors. We do understand, however, that the sponsors are in active discussions with the participating countries.”

Tottenham Hotspur have been told how much it’ll cost to land one of their mooted summer transfer targets…

What’s the word?

It’s thought that Spurs are battling Premier League rivals Wolves for the signature of Sporting Lisbon midfielder Joao Palhinha but they will have to stump up €60m (£51m), which is thought to be his release clause.

That’s according to Portuguese newspaper Record (July 12th, page six), who first linked the North London outfit to the 26-year-old last month after making his major tournament debut at Euro 2020.

O Jogo (via Express & Star) suggested Nuno Santo was interested in the six-cap Portugal international last year, so this latest link should come as no surprise.

Nuno’s next Neves?

Perhaps most interestingly, Wolves’ reignited interest boils down to the future of Ruben Neves, who has been linked to the Lilywhites’ North London rivals Arsenal in recent months.

According to journalist Pedro Sepulveda, who was speaking on Fabrizio Romano’s Twitch stream this week, Palhinha will only be targeted by Wolves if his fellow countryman leaves and as Football FanCast have previously outlined, he’d be a perfect like-for-like successor.

Therefore, it isn’t unfair to suggest that if Spurs win the race, then Nuno may well get his own Neves on the hallowed Tottenham Hotspur Stadium turf next season.

Both players are quarterback-like presences in the engine room.

For instance, the Wolves star managed an 84.4% passing accuracy, whilst also recording an average of 2.4 tackles per game in the Premier League.

By comparison, Palhinha managed just shy of that in terms of passing, recording 83.4% and better tackling returns, with an average of 3.3 tackles per outing. That increased to 4.5 at Euro 2020, too, via WhoScored.

Nuno may already have a defensive beast in Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg but during his time at Wolves, he wasn’t afraid to double up on such an influence as Leander Dendoncker, who can also play at centre-back, was often deployed alongside Neves.

He could look to repeat this anchorman tandem by signing Palhinha, only further bolstering those potential comparisons.

Sporting boss Ruben Amorim claimed the 26-year-old powerhouse is a “special player” to MaisFutebol (via Manchester News Today), whilst Portuguese football expert Marino Peixoto added further weight to that argument, suggesting that he has had a “simply phenomenal season” for Lisbon last term.

A Transfermarkt valuation of £16.2m may be some way off his whopping £51m release clause but if he’s a player that Nuno wants, then it’ll be on Fabio Paratici and Daniel Levy to make it happen.

In Palhinha, the 47-year-old could well discover his new Neves.

AND in other news, Paratici could finally replace Dembele with Spurs swoop for “complete” £26m “machine”…

Noel Whelan has given his reaction to Everton reportedly holding talks over a move for Ben White in the summer transfer window.

The Lowdown: White talks

As per The Daily Mail, the Goodison Park faithful have held talks with Brighton and Hove Albion over a deal worth up to £55m for White.

The proposal reportedly trumps the £46m offer made by Arsenal, Graham Potter’s team are looking to hold out for £50m+ to sell the central defender.

The Latest: Whelan reacts

Whelan, a pundit and former Leeds United striker who watched White play at Elland Road when he was on loan there in the 2019/20 season, has since given his reaction to the news to Football Insider, claiming that White would be a great signing for the Merseyside club:

“Yeah, absolutely huge.

“He’s one of those natural, modern-day centre-halves that covers everything. He’s got pace, he’s good in the air, he’s great on the ball and with the ball at his feet.

“He can play into that defensive midfield role as well. We keep saying adapting to different roles and that’s why Gareth Southgate has him. It’s not just as a centre-half.

“It doesn’t surprise me. Everton know how important it is to have these British players as well in their side. Definitely, Rafa Benitez will.

“Whoever gets him is getting an absolutely amazing, long-term centre-half. I’m sure he’ll be in the England setup for many, many years.”

The Verdict: Sign now!

With the Gunners still lurking, the Toffees must act now if they are serious about securing White’s signature.

A player that is so versatile, the central defender is equally as comfortable playing at right-back in addition to the defensive-midfield position, which is such a good quality to have with another long season ahead.

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His call-up to the England squad for Euro 2020 by Gareth Southgate shows just how much progression he has made and what an impressive campaign he has just had, and at just 23 years of age, White could be the starting centre-back at the Blues for years to come.

In other news, find out what Fabrizio Romano transfer update has Evertonians fuming here!