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Southampton now eyeing January move to sign "aggressive" player for Martin

by n8rngtd.top Uncategorized

Whilst Southampton are as many as 10 points adrift of Ipswich Town in the second automatic promotion spot, they are at least eight points inside the Championship's top six with a shot at Wembley potentially awaiting them come the end of the campaign.

After a rocky start, Russell Martin could yet take the Saints up at the first time of asking in England's second tier. What could help that promotion push is the January transfer window, which may see Martin handed another chance to welcome some new reinforcements. Among those could reportedly be a player from a promotion rival too, in what would hand those at St Mary's a boost.

Southampton transfer news

The Saints may have lost both James Ward-Prowse and Romeo Lavia in the summer, but they did well to keep hold of a number of solid players. The likes of Che Adams, Adam Armstrong and Stuart Armstrong all stayed put to leave the Saints in with every chance of an instant return to the Premier League. Meanwhile, Martin also strengthened his squad by welcoming players such as Ryan Manning and Taylor Harwood-Bellis. It is a transfer trick that he could repeat come January too, with reports suggesting that the Saints are eyeing one particular target.

"Really bad news…" – Pundit reacts to "huge blow" for Southampton

This isn’t what Saints supporters will want to hear.

By
Henry Jackson

Dec 8, 2023

According to reliable reporter Alan Nixon of The Sun, Southampton have entered the race to sign Charlie Cresswell on loan in January after the Leeds centre-back has struggled for game time at Elland Road. The Saints aren't the first club to be linked with a move for the defender, however, with Middlesbrough also eyeing Cresswell. According to The Athletic, Daniel Farke expects Cresswell to stay put in Yorkshire, despite failing to hand the 21-year-old a consistent place in his side so far this season.

"Aggressive" Cresswell could hand Southampton promotion boost

Given Cresswell's experience in the Championship, enjoying an impressive spell on loan at Millwall last season, Southampton could be wise to land the defender on loan in January. Though, it must be said, it seems unlikely that Leeds would let their youngster leave to a side who sit just three points behind them in the Championship. Cresswell's lack of game time shows that he could do with a move, even if short-term, with the defender starting just one league game so far this season.

Millwall loanee Charlie Cresswell.

When given the opportunity at Millwall, Cresswell impressed former boss Gary Rowett, who previously said:

“Knowing his dad and the character he had, you can see that in the lad as well. He’s been brought up really well with a real hunger for work-rate. He’s an aggressive boy who wants to fight, I think that’s why Millwall was something they were very, very keen on even though they had some very good other options. A loan player wants to know they’ll get a fair chance and what you’re offering is actually what it says on the tin – not just to try and get the player into our club. He’s not going to be our player at the end of it, he’s going to be Leeds’ player, so we’ve got to do the best job we can along the way.”

Winning trophies runs in Lionel Messi’s family! Antonela Roccuzzo salutes Inter Miami ‘champions’ featuring her son Thiago after taking in success alongside Luis Suarez’s wife Sofia Balbi

by h716a5.icu Uncategorized

Winning runs in Lionel Messi’s family, with Antonela Roccuzzo hailing the efforts of son Thiago after seeing Inter Miami’s academy become “champions”.

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Argentine star shining in the United StatesChildren have joined academy ranksSuccess being savoured at all levels in FloridaGettyWHAT HAPPENED?

After moving to the United States, eight-time Ballon d’Or winner Messi has already savoured Leagues Cup glory. He is currently in the process of chasing down more major honours, with Inter Miami making a positive start to the 2024 campaign.

Get the MLS Season Pass today!Stream games nowAdvertisementTHE GOSSIP

Messi has registered 11 goals for them through 10 appearances in all competitions, with A-list guests flocking to watch him in action. He is delivering for David Beckham and the Herons board, but the Florida-based outfit have one eye on the long-term future.

WHAT ANTONELA SAID

Messi’s sons have followed him onto the books at Inter Miami, and they are impressing at youth level. Thiago has got his hands on a trophy, with his mother saluting that achievement after watching a tournament triumph alongside Luis Suarez’s wife, Sofia Balbi. Antonela has posted on Instagram: “Let's go INTER! How beautiful it is to share it together friend! @sofibalbi, to many more!! Soccermoms. CHAMPIONS!”

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WHAT NEXT FOR MESSI?

Inter Miami’s senior side have risen to the top of the MLS Eastern Conference, with Messi putting in another talismanic performance last time out in a 4-1 win over the New England Revolution, and they will be back in action on Saturday when playing host to the New York Red Bulls.

Bayliss reserves judgment on Burns and Jennings as England are challenged to improve further

by h79snht.top Uncategorized

Test team remains far from the finished article, in spite of ‘great result’, says head coach

Andrew Miller26-Nov-2018

England celebrate their 3-0 series win•Associated Press

Trevor Bayliss has warned that it is too soon to say whether Rory Burns and Keaton Jennings can be considered England’s answers to their long-term problem at the top of the Test batting order, in spite of the key contributions they made to a memorable 3-0 series whitewash against Sri Lanka.Speaking in the aftermath of England’s 42-run win on the final day in Colombo, Bayliss admitted that the Test team remains far from the finished article, in spite of what he described as a “great result” in achieving the team’s first overseas clean sweep since 1963.And, despite praising his players for the manner in which they bought into the positive strategy that, as a former Sri Lanka coach, he felt was required for success on their spin-dominant pitches, he insisted that “statistics will tell the story” as to whether Jennings and Burns can forge long-term futures in the side.Of the two, Jennings produced the most memorable performances, compiling a match-defining century in the first Test at Galle while excelling himself under the helmet at short leg with a succession of world-class interventions in all three games. However, he also came into the series under the greater scrutiny, having averaged just 18.11 in five Tests against India last summer.Burns, meanwhile, made a key pair of contributions to the second Test at Kandy, including a maiden Test half-century in the second innings in which he shelved his natural game to give England a brisk start in overturning a first-innings deficit. But he still finished the series with a middling return of 155 runs at 25.83 in the three matches.”I probably don’t think so,” Bayliss told Sky Sports when asked if the pair had done enough to cement their places in the longer term. “Obviously statistics will tell a story there, they are still both fairly young in the Test game, and have shown some good character in the way they’ve gone about it. It’s been exceptional at times, but in the end, for every one of the 11, runs and wickets count.”On the subject of England’s overall strategy – one which clearly paid dividends in the course of the series – Bayliss admitted that there had been times, not least in the first innings at Galle, when they had veered on the side of reckless, but reiterated his belief that positivity and aggression were the way to go in conditions he knew well from his four-year stint with the Sri Lanka team from 2007 to 2011.”In the past, teams have come here and decided to bunker down, wait for the bad ball and bat for a long time,” Bayliss said. “But quite simply, with the spin over here, eventually there’s going to be a ball with your name on it, so we decided to take the attack to them. Don’t let them dictate to us, we wanted to dictate to them. We thought it was the way to go, and certainly panned out that way in the first two games.””We said after that first day in Galle [when England went to lunch on 113 for 5], that first session we were a bit frenetic. There’s a fine line between being busy and looking to score, being mentally positive, and going over the top and trying to hit good balls for runs. You still have to defend well and hit the bad ball for four. With that mental approach, if you are in the right frame of mind, your feet move well and you make good decisions.”Bayliss did, however, concede that the demands of England’s fast-paced strategy had put particular pressure on Jennings, Burns and Ben Foakes, the eventual Man of the Series, but a player who – by his own admission at Galle – is more comfortable with grinding his runs than blazing them in the manner of his more expansive batting colleagues.”Foakes, Jennings and Burns are three guys who probably haven’t got as many shots as the other boys,” said Bayliss. “But they went about their game in a positive manner as well, they were able to rotate the strike and put pressure on the opposition by playing their game, and when they got a bad ball, they put it away for four.”In spite of his own success, Foakes in particular will be under pressure going into the West Indies tour, and ultimately the 2019 Ashes, from his rival for the wicketkeeper’s role, Jonny Bairstow, who made it clear after his comeback century at Galle that he would not be satisfied at playing as a specialist batsman.Asked if that burgeoning rivalry was one to keep an eye on, Bayliss said: “The short answer is yes, we don’t want to put any undue pressure on other people. But it does keep the guys in the team on their toes and, in the long run for England, that’s a good thing when you’ve got competition for places and depth to select from. Even Jos Buttler wants to keep, but the way Foakesy has gone in this series, he’ll definitely be in for the next one.”Since I’ve been here, every time there’s been a challenge thrown to Jonny, he’s been able to come out and score some runs,” Bayliss added. “The trick for us is to try to come up with a challenge for him every time he comes out to bat. He’s got the goods, and the challenge for him will be at home on seaming wickets, but he’s got the talent to master that as well.”In keeping with his reserved judgment on England’s overall series performance, Bayliss also mixed praise for his captain, Joe Root, with mild criticism of his personal contribution of 229 runs at 38.16, as he challenged the side to get better and better in all departments.”He’s probably disappointed with the amount of runs he’s scored, even though he’s scored a great hundred up in Kandy,” said Bayliss. ” I think more so from a captaincy point of view, he’s really been in charge, you can tell in the changing room he’s in charge, and some of his decisions out in the field have been pretty good. I still feel there’s a lot of improvement in these guys yet, which is an exciting thing for England cricket.”

Specsavers Championship 2019 fixtures: Surrey start defence against Essex

by csb10.top Uncategorized

Defending champions Surrey will host Essex, who lifted the Specsavers Championship in 2017, in their opening match of the 2019 season – a repeat of their encounter in the final round of last season, when Essex scraped a dramatic one-wicket win despite taking a 410-run lead on first innings.The first round of the Championship will begin on April 5, equalling the earliest start to a county season, although Surrey will not be in action until the following week. Kent, back in Division One for the first time since 2010, start with a trip to Taunton to play Somerset, while Division Two winners Warwickshire’s first game will start on April 11 against Kent – another replay of their final game of 2018.Lancashire and Worcestershire, the two teams relegated from Division One, will commence life in the second tier away to Middlesex and Leicestershire respectively.Two rounds of Championship fixtures will be held before the Royal London Cup kicks off on April 17, with the group stage running for the next three weeks. The final, the last to be held at Lord’s before the 50-over showpiece moves to Trent Bridge in 2020, takes place on May 25.With the World Cup being held in England, and due to run for seven-and-a-half weeks from May 30, the domestic focus will switch back to the Championship for a two-month block, before the Vitality Blast* begins in mid-July. The Blast group stage finishes on August 30, but Finals Day has been pushed back to September 21 due to the Ashes, with the final Test scheduled for September 12-16.The Kia Super League, the women’s domestic T20 competition, will begin on August 6 with all six sides in action. Finals Day will again be held at Hove, on September 1.Due to the crowded fixture list, several counties will return to rarely frequented outgrounds: Hampshire have a Championship fixture on the Isle of Wight, Yorkshire will play in York and Nottinghamshire are set to take first-class cricket to Nettleworth.There will only be one round of the Championship in August, continuing a trend of first-class matches being played outside the height of summer, with the competition being concluded once again amid the chill of autumn: the final matches will begin on September 23.The 2019 season will be the last with an eight-ten split between Divisions One and Two of the Championship. Three teams will be promoted from the second tier, with only one going down, meaning from 2020 there will be ten teams in Division One and eight in Division Two.* 1700 GMT – This story was updated with confirmation of Vitality Blast fixtures

Botafogo fecha com empresa que fará filtro de qualidade em busca de futuro CEO

by h79snht.top Uncategorized

MatériaMais Notícias

O Botafogo deu mais um passo em busca de um CEO para 2021. Durcesio Mello e Vinícius Assumpção definiram, durante essa semana, a empresa que será responsável por filtrar os nomes dos candidatos e executivos que aparecem à mesa do futuro presidente do Alvinegro e colocar aqueles que entram melhor na ideia do mandatário, que assumirá a cadeira no dia 1º janeiro de 2021.

A empresa servirá como um “headhunter’, como publicou primeiramente o “Canal do TF”. Durcesio Mello escolheu uma companhia por ter noção que muitos nomes para a função de CEO serão oferecidos e, desta forma, eles possam cobrir a demanda que aparecer.

O nome da empresa ainda não foi revelado. Durante a primeira reunião do Grupo de Transição de Trabalho (GTT), na última segunda-feira, ficou combinado entre os membros da equipe que haverá um sigilo sobre a identidade da companhia até que Durcesio Mello possa falar oficialmente como presidente do Botafogo – ou seja, no ano que vem.

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A busca por um CEO é uma das principais facetas da gestão de Durcesio e Vinícius. Os dois consideram que um profissional é necessário para controlar todas as áreas do clube e, por isso, contratam uma empresa com experiência no mercado para filtrarem as melhores opções.

Internamente, não há um prazo para que o CEO seja contratado. O futuro presidente não quer “contratar por contratar” e aparecer com um executivo na primeira semana de mandato. Mas sim estudar, analisar e, a partir da avalição do headhunter, buscar o profissional que encaixe na ideologia esperada.

Todos os candidatos oferecidos serão analisados por essa empresa. A tendência é que os três melhores fiquem e tenham entrevistas presenciais com Durcesio Mello, que terá a decisão final para contratar o novo CEO. O futuro presidente já afirmou previamente que o profissional não precisa ter uma relação direta com futebol.

England snubbed! Bayern Munich & Germany legend Philipp Lahm explains why Harry Kane and Co are not favourites to win Euro 2024

by h716a5.icu Uncategorized

Bayern Munich and Germany legend Philipp Lahm has insisted that England are not the favourites to win Euro 2024 this summer.

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Lahm named his favourite to win Euro 2024Snubbed Harry Kane and Co.Euro 2024 to start on June 14 in MunichWHAT HAPPENED?

The former defender snubbed England as he tipped the 2018 World Cup winners France to lift the Euro 2024 title in Germany this year. According to Lahm, Les Bleus' depth in their squad and the number of quality players on their roster is what makes them favourites to bag the trophy for the first time since 2000.

AdvertisementGettyTHE BIGGER PICTURE

Didier Deschamps' side came very close to winning the European championship in 2016 when they reached the final and were overwhelming favourites to lift the trophy, but they went down against a spirited Portugal side. At Euro 2020, they crashed out of the round of 16 after suffering a shock defeat at the hands of Switzerland.

WHAT PHILIPP LAHM SAID

Speaking to , former Bayern star Lahm said: "France [are the favourites]. Quite simply because they have, I’d say, 40 players that are very talented. They have a very balanced group and can easily make changes, bring players off the bench that could legitimately start, but what is the most important is to be a team on the pitch."

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GettyWHAT NEXT?

The Euro 2024 will kick off on June 14 at Munich with hosts Germany taking on Scotland in the curtain raiser. Despite Lahm's comments, England are still being tipped to go all the way with in-form Bayern striker leading the line as captain, with many fans predicting they will avenge their Euro 2020 final defeat to Italy.

Exclusive: ‘Different quality’ – Barcelona teenage sensation Lamine Yamal lauded by Blaugrana legend Patrick Kluivert as he praises youngster for ‘performing like an adult’

by h716a5.icu Uncategorized

Former Barcelona striker Patrick Kluivert lauded La Masia graduate Lamine Yamal for his memorable start to life in a Blaugrana shirt.

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Praised Yamal for series of strong performancesUrged Barcelona to protect 16-year-oldSpoke to GOAL ahead of La Liga event in New YorkWHAT HAPPENED?

Kluivert, who played for Barcelona for eight seasons, hailed Yamal for his impact on Xavi's side. Since breaking into the first team at the start of the 2023-24 campaign, Yamal has scored four and assisted three – offering a bright spark in an otherwise difficult season for the Blaugrana.

AdvertisementWHAT KLUIVERT SAID ABOUT YAMAL'S PERFORMANCES

Speaking ahead of a La Liga fan even in New York, Kluivert told GOAL: "To put pressure on a boy that's 16 years old… It's not right. But it's automatically going. If you look how he performs, if you look how he scores, the goals, it's a different quality. He will get the pressure automatically, and that's normal when you perform like this. He's performing like an adult on the pitch."

WHAT KLUIVERT SAID ABOUT PROTECTING YAMAL

The Barcelona legend also cautioned his former club on the dangers of overloading a 16-year-old: "If you play a lot of games, also the national team, also for Barca, it could be possible that the engine is going out."

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THE BIGGER PICTURE

Kluivert understands the weight of the Barca shirt. The long-time Dutch international scored 90 goals for the Blaugrana in 182 games. He is set to appear at El Partidazo, a La Liga fan event, in New York on March 17 – an event held during the Spanish top flight clash between Atletico Madrid and Barca.

Rangers: Ibrox chiefs "on the brink" of offering "daring" manager the job

by h79snht.top Uncategorized

Rangers may be edging closer to hiring Michael Beale's replacement, as they're reportedly "on the brink" of offering one "daring" manager the job.

Who could Rangers appoint as manager?

It's been just over a week since Rangers opted to relieve Beale of his duties at Ibrox, coming after a poor start to the Scottish Premiership season and one which leaves them seven points behind Old Firm rivals Celtic in the table. Despite bringing in a plethora of new signings over the summer transfer window, Rangers have endured a lacklustre run of form overall. The Teddy Bears have even been booed off on more-than one occasion so far, losing three games already, and that was enough for Rangers to make the big decision to sack Beale.

Former Rangers boss Michael Beale.

There have been many names mentioned as a candidates to replace the Englishman since his departure, with former Chelsea boss Frank Lampard, ex-Eintracht Frankfurt coach Oliver Glasner, AZ Alkmaar's Pascal Jansen, Ryan Lowe, Billy Davies and Graham Potter, John Eustace and Scott Parker all being linked at various points (Sky Sports). However, reliable media sources claim all of the aforementioned are not currently under consideration, with both Philippe Clement and ex-Rangers star Kevin Muscat instead leading the charge.

The club are said to be holding their final round of interviews in London this week as their search for Beale's successor continues to take shape, according to Sky.

Rangers manager news: Philippe Clement

Former Monaco boss Philippe Clement.

Clement, who's proved successful over past tenures in Belgium with Club Brugge and Genk specifically, is one outstanding candidate for the Rangers job. The 49-year-old has trophy-winning experience, which may prove a huge draw for Ibrox chiefs who wish to bridge the gap between them and Celtic. Clement's playstyle has also been praised by Monaco sporting director Paul Mitchell for being "daring".

"His profile as a modern coach, with his teams playing with great intensity and [is] daring, including on the continental stage," claimed Mitchell. "His ability to combine titles and the development of young players have made him one of the most prominent and successful coaches in Europe in recent years."

Philippe Clement trophies

Honours won

Jupiler Pro League

4

Belgian Super Cup

2

Belgian Cup

1

There have been suggestions that he has even entered pole position for the Rangers job, with talkSPORT sharing that Clement to Rangers news this week. Now, TEAMtalk have their own Rangers update on Clement and his possible appointment in Glasgow. Indeed, it is now believed that he is "on the brink of a job offer" after holding talks with Rangers again this week. Clement has been "highly impressive" during the process, according to this report, and that has made him a favourite for the job over Muscat.

Saudi Arabian side Al-Shabab, who were also in contention to appoint the Belgian, apparently now expect him to take the Rangers job and an imminent decision will be made within 48 hours. It's added that the role may well be his if Clement indeed chooses to accept.

Contact made: Arsenal make first move to sign new "incredible" £60m player

by rastrear-estafeta.com Uncategorized

Arsenal now look to have established contact with one of their top targets' agent as they seek to add some valuable squad depth in the January transfer window, according to a report.

What's the latest Arsenal news?

The Gunners will hope to react to their disappointing 2-1 defeat away to RC Lens in the Champions League during midweek when they take on Manchester City this Sunday in a clash at the Emirates Stadium between two of the favourites to claim the Premier League title this term.

Cited by BBC Sport, Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola has tipped Arsenal to be title rivals to his side for a long time to come, stating: "They were the biggest rival last season and will stay there for a long time."

In other news, Gunners boss Mikel Arteta looks to have cooled speculation that his side could enter the market in January to bring in another striker, as he said via METRO: "We believe in the players that we have first of all. Because we have the resources that we have secondly, and at the moment we feel we are covering that position."

Arsenal have relied on Gabriel Jesus and Eddie Nketiah to occupy the central striking positions so far this campaign and the pair have netted a combined five goals between them from 18 appearances.

Journalist Dean Jones has told GIVEMESPORT that he believes Emile Smith-Rowe has until January to prove that he has a future at the club following a stop-start beginning to his campaign on a personal note, as he stated:

"He's got 18 games, between now and January, to prove that he's worth keeping around and to prove himself to Arsenal. Obviously, the closer we get towards January, doubts might be raised about whether he can remain at the club or he needs a move to salvage his own career and get his confidence and form back."

Arsenal transfer news – Gunners make move to sign Pedro Neto

According to TEAMtalk, Arsenal have now made their first move to try and sign Wolverhampton Wanderers winger Pedro Neto, who has impressed for the Old Gold during the early portion of 2023/24.

The report states that there has been contact made between Arsenal and Neto's agent Jorge Mendes, who also represents Fabio Vieira; however, it could cost the Gunners as much as £60 million to acquire the Portugal international.

Neto has made an excellent start to life this campaign, registering four assists and one goal in his opening seven appearances in the Premier League at the time of writing. Wolves boss Gary O'Neil labelled the 23-year-old "incredible" last month and it is easy to see why he afforded Neto such high praise, given that he has averaged around 1.6 shots, 2.6 key passes and 2.3 completed dribbles per fixture in the English top-flight this season, according to WhoScored.

Arsenal are already stacked with quality in the wide areas, with players such as Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Martinelli and Leandro Trossard all capable of producing moments of magic in crunch moments. Nevertheless, bringing in someone like Neto in January would only add another layer of quality and creative intuition to Arteta's side, which can only be a good thing as the Gunners seek title glory.

Man United flop was compared to Roy Keane after signing, now he’s already left

by rastrear-estafeta.com Uncategorized

The pressure put on young players at Manchester United is enormous.

The club may not pump out prospects quite like Barcelona's famous La Masia but the Old Trafford side boasts a remarkable legacy nonetheless.

Flash back to the class of 92 and it feels as though expectations have gone out the window since. Every young prospect to don the famous red and white of United hopes to follow in those illustrious footsteps and is expected to do so.

However, as many who have gone before will tell those in the ranks now, life isn't that simple.

One poignant story is Ravel Morrison's. Once thought to be ahead of Paul Pogba "by a country mile" by Wayne Rooney, he is now plying his trade in Major League Soccer with DC United.

Federico Macheda was branded the next Cristiano Ronaldo, only to find himself in Turkish football years after that goal against Aston Villa.

Even Darron Gibson found himself compared to Paul Scholes. A successful career may well have been forged but he never reached the dizzy heights expected.

Another cautionary tale is that of Phil Jones. He may not have passed through the walls of the academy at Carrington, but as a young player his career petered out and he never lived up to his immense potential.

How much did Man United sign Phil Jones for?

The central defender arrived from Blackburn Rovers in the summer of 2011 in a deal worth £16m.

Jones was handed a five-year contract by Sir Alex Ferguson who once again had poached one of England's finest talents away from a fellow Premier League side.

Man United's Phil Jones and Harry Maguire

The aforementioned price tag happened to be Jones' release clause. Coincidentally, there was also interest from Liverpool, but it was Old Trafford where the centre-back would end up.

Later that summer, David De Gea became another of Sir Alex's additions, to emphasise just how long the pair ended up remaining in north west.

What was said about Phil Jones when he first signed for Man United?

Jones' time at United initially started off brightly with rave reviews seemingly around every corner. An England U21 international at the time, he would end up winning his first senior cap for the Three Lions in the same year he signed, 2011.

That was the first of 27 caps, but it should have been so much more for a player Ferguson rated as highly as some of his greatest-ever players.

Speaking in 2013 after Jones' first and last Premier League trophy, Fergie remarked that he could "be our [Man United's] best ever player." It wasn't often that the Scot got things as wrong as that.

He can take solace in the fact that he wasn't the only one to see remarkable potential in Jones, now aged 31.

Shortly after signing, Gary Neville wrote in one column that “has a touch of Bryan Robson or Roy Keane” while Fabio Capello even mentioned him in the same breath as Franco Baresi and Fernando Hierro.

Perhaps the best compliment came from Sir Bobby Charlton who suggested the former Blackburn man was like Duncan Edwards of the Busby Babes.

How, therefore, did it all go so wrong?

Where is Phil Jones now?

Jones played 29 times in the Premier League during his debut season with the club but would never make more appearances than that throughout a single season again.

17 outings were made in the title-winning campaign of 2012/13 and 26 in 2013/14. Several seasons of being a rotational option followed before injuries well and truly got in his way.

The once-promising defender's final campaign where he got a look in came throughout 2018/19 where he featured on 18 occasions in the top flight.

Since then, however, Jones has only been seen six times in the league, and not at all since the 2021/22 campaign.

That was largely owed to a horrible run of injuries. 22 separate incidents were tallied up while he was a United player, which saw him miss a staggering 253 matches.

Despite such rotten luck, a period that saw him and his spell with the club labelled a "nightmare" by PA's Simon Peach, he still earned a new deal in 2019.

That came to an end this year with the veteran now currently without a club.

For someone who was thought of so highly, it's a great shame that such fine potential was never reached. Life and indeed football is often filled with plenty of what ifs. For Jones, it will very much be a case of what if he'd stayed fit. The England international may not have lived up to Ferguson's prophecy a decade ago, but a fine career may have still been forged.